Era of the Warring States
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: In a world without Kim Possible, war between Shego and SSJ has destroyed the land and the people. 20 years later Kim reappears and finds a world she doesn't recognize. A world that she may not be able to save. She may not even be able to save herself. Cover by YogurthFrost at deviantart; the story is based on a series of pictures by YogurthFrost.
1. Prologue: The Before Time

A/N: Amazing, no, the Earth didn't swallow me whole or anything like that, although not for lack of trying. Anyway, this story is based on a series of "What If" pictures by the very talented artist, YogurthFrost. I suggest you go checking out his gallery over at DeviantArt. There is a link to it on my profile. I hope you guys enjoy this one. ^_^

I don't own these characters; they belong to Disney.

Era of the Warring States

_First Array: Battle Fatigue_

Prologue: The Before Time

"Shego!" Doctor Drakken's loud shriek echoed through the halls of his lab, reaching the ears of a woman who was just trying to relax.

Lounging underneath a sun lamp, Shego sighed. _I'd sell my soul for a day at the beach without having to hear my name called like that. Of course, I would need a soul to sell for that to work_. The thought tickled her enough to get a chuckle out of her.

"Shego!" came the roar a second time.

"Can't he take a hint?" she asked the air, although she was not sure why he needed her. She was somewhat superfluous to his life at the moment. Or at least that was the impression she had been getting lately.

"Shego, didn't you hear me calling you?" Drakken bellowed as he stormed into the small room that Shego had been resting in.

"Mars could hear you calling me," she remarked, not bothering to look at him. He could not tell where her eyes were directed anyway because she was wearing dark sunglasses.

"Well, if you hear me, why didn't you answer?" he demanded, stomping his small foot and scowling at her. Folding his arms across his chest, he waited for a snappy response that did not come. Shego merely rolled over on to her side. "Well!" he bellowed.

"What does it matter why I didn't answer? You're here now, so you can tell me whatever it is you need to tell me. Are you going to brag some more about how you have the whole world fooled and they think you're going straight, but you're just using the lab and whatever else they hand you to take over the world? Been there, heard that. Way too many times, in fact," she griped, waving him off with the hope of escaping a rant.

Snorting, Drakken turned his nose up at her. "That's not true and you know it. Besides, it's a genius idea, right? I mean, they've given me this great lab and anytime I ask for something, I always get it quickly. Before you know it, we'll have the world eating out of the palm of our hands!" he proclaimed.

Shego actually yawned. "I've heard the story and bought the book, Doctor D. Lived it too. Big deal," she said, again waving him off.

"Shego, you've changed," he noted in an almost soft voice. "You're just not yourself anymore."

Another yawn was her response. Mentally, she conceded that he was correct. She was not herself anymore. Dozen of reasons as to why that was ran through her mind. Maybe one day she would share them with Drakken, she considered. She doubted that he would get it, though.

"Nothing to say for yourself?" he demanded, glaring at her with those beady onyx eyes of his.

Sometimes, she imagined him as a sock-puppet when he got in moods like he was now and she thought of little button eyes looking down at her. The image jumped into her head and she could even see him standing behind a little wooden stand just ranting and raving. The idea tickled her enough to put a smile on her face. He did not seem to appreciate her expression because his frown became more severe.

"WELL!" he boomed, balling his little hands into tiny fists.

"Could you pass me that bottle of water over there?" she requested, nodding to her beverage on the table by the "good" doctor.

Drakken growled and glanced at the water. He did not make any moves to get it. She spared him a glance, but did not get bent out of shape about his defiance. Rolling her shoulders, she settled deeper into her lounge chair.

"Shego, are you with me in this little endeavor?" he inquired in a surprisingly patient tone.

"Aren't I always with you, Doctor D?" she countered.

"It seems like lately you've been lost in the clouds," he noted.

Sighing, she waved him off. "I'm fine. You shouldn't bother with it. Don't you have some taking-over-the-world scheme to get back to?" she pointed out with the hope that he would leave her alone.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about!" he huffed.

"Well, you're talking. Get to it," she ordered.

Black eyes blinked, as if he did not expect that response or perhaps it was the attitude behind it. She knew that her attitude was much different than it usually was. There was now much more of an edge to her tone and her demeanor was like a coiled rattlesnake. Of course, she was only infinitely more dangerous than a rattlesnake when she was ready to strike. Drakken actually seemed to be treading lightly, trying to figure her out. _Good luck_, she thought.

"Shego, what is the problem? You've been so testy. What is it? Is it because I haven't sent you on any assignments? I could do that if you want. I know you like sneaking around and everything," the sky-blue male offered, making meaningless circular motions with his hands.

There was a snort and a hand wave, basically blowing him off. "Doctor D, tell me what you were going to tell me or I'm going to go to sleep. You're not my therapist, you know."

A low growl escaped Drakken's mouth. "Fine! I'm just trying to look out for you. I mean, remember the evil family?" he reminded her, stomping his foot.

Shego was tempted to leave well enough alone, but his continued presence was irritating to her. All she wanted to do was lie there in her faux-sun light and pretend the world did not exist. Her nostrils flared for a moment before she took deep breath to calm herself down. _Oh, I'm definitely on edge. Fed up maybe?_

"You mean the evil family that has ignored me the past, oh, two years while playing with his government toys and then came crying to me only when he found out the scientific community still wouldn't take him seriously because all of his attempts to build a robot ends in some horrible farce? That family? Could you be anymore full of it?" she demanded with a snarl.

Drakken actually yelped and jumped back. "Shego!"

"What!"

"I didn't abandon you," he insisted. "I was trying my hand at other things and merely got busy. It was nothing against you," he tried to assure her.

"What do you need, Drakken, to be blowing this much smoke up my ass?" she inquired.

There was another frown. "Shego, what do I have to do to make it up to you?" he countered.

Silence reigned supreme for a moment. "Leave me alone," she answered. "Let's face it, Doc, I'm just an ear for you now. Someone you can boast to because you know I'm too lazy to get my ass out of this chair and walk out of the room. So, let's call it what it is. It's not a family. It's bullshit," she said bluntly.

"Shego, if this attitude keeps up, you will not be getting Iceland when I take over the world," Drakken declared.

Shego snarled, not liking his tone. She tore herself from her chair and marched over to him. He gulped as emerald eyes glared down at him. A pointed finger was shoved in his face.

"Stop talking to me as if I'm your child. Let's get things straight, Drakken. One, I have a father. He's not you, so you stop trying to replace him. Two, if there's a kid around here, it's you. You had a chance to do something with your life after we helped take down those aliens and save the world. But, what happened? The second it got too hard, you gave up and fell right back into the same failing behavior. I'm only here to make sure you don't kill yourself or something stupid this time around," she informed him.

"You're one to talk," he hissed, frowning at her.

An ebony eyebrow raised slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't that why you're here in the first place, Shego? Life got too hard for you, so you decided to do something that was easier?" he challenged her.

For a moment, fire flashed in emerald eyes and Drakken was almost frightened, but that quickly passed. Shego then laughed unexpectedly. The reaction was so odd that Drakken stepped back and watched her cautiously.

"You think you know me so well, Doctor D? You're not particularly good at reading people, me especially. You don't know why I do most of the things I do and I would suggest you stop trying to figure me out. Just be happy I'm here. It's not like you need me anymore or anything," she pointed out.

"Is that what the attitude is about? You're upset that I don't need you anymore?" he guessed.

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. "That has nothing to do with it. So, how about you just leave me alone instead of trying to psychoanalyze me when you're the psycho around here," she remarked.

"Shego, you shouldn't feel like I don't need you anymore," he said. "I mean, yes, I don't send you on assignments or anything anymore, but as I said, we're an evil family."

"You're obviously not listening, which reminds me a little of my brother, which I suppose would make us like an evil family, but I digress. Doc, what part of 'leave me alone' is too complicated for you? I don't want to hear your rant. I'm not going to encourage your scheme. I'm just trying to sit back and relax."

"Shego, with this attitude, I definitely will not give you Iceland."

And that was it for Shego. Walking away, she briefly pondered why it was that the world seemed to continue going around, things and people changed, but Drakken seemed to stay the same. It did not make any sense to her. If survival of the fittest was true, Drakken should have either evolved or been killed, yet he remained unchanged. It boggled the mind.

"Shego, wait!" Drakken called, but she never turned around. A scowl remained on his face. "Something is wrong with Shego. Ever since that alien thing a couple of years ago, she just hasn't been the same person. I mean, yes, I know I never send her on assignments anymore, but things are almost just like they always were and we're closer to taking over the world than ever before, so why isn't she with me on this? What is wrong with her?" he wondered. "I think I'll look into this."

-8-8-8-8-

Emerald eyes stared down into hot chocolate that was swirling with melted whipped cream. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Drakken, so it did not cross her mind to drink her cooling hot chocolate. _Things always change. It's how to survive. You have to be able to keep up with your environment or you're doomed to fail. So, why was it that Drakken always remained the same?_

"It doesn't make any sense…" Shego muttered to herself.

"What doesn't make sense?" Kim Possible inquired as she eased down into the seat across from Shego.

The voice caused green eyes to look up. "Princess? When did you get here?" she asked.

"Just now. Just in time to see you talking to yourself. You look like you're troubled. What's going on?"

"Nothing much. Just this thing with Drakken."

The redhead nodded. "It's always a thing with Drakken. Have you told him that you meet up with me on occasion and we have coffee and stuff like that?" she asked with a slightly teasing smile.

Shego snorted and rolled her eyes. "Drakken is still under the impression that he's somehow going to take over the world. I've been wondering how is that as time goes by, everything changes, except for Drakken. Lately, I think I've been feeling disappointed in him."

"Disappointed?" Kim echoed, her tone telling Shego to go on.

"Yeah, disappointed. I mean, he's not the most social creature on Earth and most of the time he has the emotional capabilities of a five-year-old, which I don't hold against him. What does bug me is that he is a pretty intelligent guy, but has problems accepting the fact that there will be times that he's not the smartest guy in the room. He makes mistakes like everyone else, but can't own up to them. The second he trips up and someone calls him on it, he looks at it as a slight against everything he's ever done and he doesn't know how to handle it."

"Hence the going back to take over the world nonsense?" Kim guessed.

Sighing, Shego flipped her hair back. "He's all bent out of shape because other guys at the lab laughed at his latest robots. Honestly, building a robot is far from Drakken's forte. He's good at lots of other things, but robots isn't his thing. I tried telling him that, but he just kept whining about how they didn't respect him and how he would show them and blah, blah, blah." She made a mocking hand movement, as if her hand was talking.

"Really? One round of laughing and it's back to evil mad scientist? That's the thing that got him started in the first place, you know?" Kim asked.

"I was vaguely aware. He used to rant about it. I'm just wondering when he's going to grow up and accept his limitations. It's not like he's an idiot. He just can't build a robot and he can't stop acting like a five-year-old."

Kim nodded. "Have you ever thought maybe it's time for you to move on? Like you said, everyone else is changing. That includes you. Maybe it's time you left Drakken."

There was a short laugh and a nod. "I've thought about it. I'm not doing anything with my life, except watching after him. Unfortunately, I wouldn't feel right about leaving him right now. He doesn't know it, but he needs someone to watch after him and make sure he doesn't go crazier. Besides, I'm not sure what's right for me either. I'm sort of in a stage of limbo."

"And why is that? You're fully capable and not wanted anymore. You got as much of a second chance as Dakken did. There's no reason why you can't go out and have a normal life, even while looking after Drakken. So, what's stopping you from doing it?"

Shego leaned back and folded her arms in her lap. "I guess in my case, it's about overcoming certain things that seem to follow me around no matter where I go."

"Criminal record?" Kim assumed, even though officially Shego did not have a record anymore. Of course, that did not mean people forgot that Shego used to be a criminal. It did not matter that Shego helped save the world once. People tended to recall the bad before the good.

"Association with Drakken. Not so much what I did with him, but what people saw me as, even Drakken. For most people, I was the muscle, the sidekick. It was rare for Drakken to acknowledge my intelligence and he spent most of his time with him. Most people don't know behind all of the ass-kicking, I have an even bigger muscle in my head."

"But, your degrees," Kim pointed out.

"Most people think they're forgeries, even if they call up my schools and find out, yeah, I went there and, yeah, I graduated. I don't think I would do well in a normal environment right now, anyway. I'm not mentally ready for that," Shego admitted.

"Shego, when are you going to be ready for that? Eventually, you have to get your act together. You're twenty-six years old for crying out loud. Do you want to still be a mercenary when you're thirty-six? Forty-six?" Kim asked, pressing the issue.

"I can see why the buffoon was happy to see you go to college halfway across the world," Shego remarked.

Olive eyes rolled. "Don't try to change the subject. Ron and I are quite happy with our arrangements."

"If you couldn't talk him into college, what makes you think you can talk me into a normal life? You just like picking up these impossible tasks, Possible?" Shego teased.

"You keep that up and I'll get Ron on the phone. You know he likes badgering you just as much as I do."

Shego snorted. "If I had known talking to you meant talking to him too, I'd have stayed in Drakken's stupid volcano lair. Have I told you about that? He's got a damn lair in an active volcano. It's like living in a damn cartoon!"

"Which you could get away from if you got on your own feet," Kim hummed.

Shego snorted and rolled her eyes again. "I see why the buffoon stays in Japan whenever you're around."

Narrow shoulders shook as Kim chuckled and shook her head. "That wasn't up to your usual standards. Even your snaps are suffering."

"Maybe I've been spending too much time with a certain goodie-two-shoes," the older woman countered.

"Oh, yes, blame me. The absentee friend that you see perhaps once a month if we try hard enough," Kim replied dryly.

A gloved hand waved the comment off. "I think it's the boredom and the fact that I feel stuck, even though I'm changing. I feel like I'm evolving, but my environment isn't changing, which can't be good. In fact, it sounds just as deadly as the environment changing and me staying the same."

"It sounds like you're thinking too much, Shego. You've got nothing going on in your life beyond Drakken's schemes and it's causing you to spend a lot of time in your head. Why don't you go out and do something? You could join a law enforcement agency. GJ would love to have you."

"Screw GJ. I'm not going to go out of my way to carry a badge or some bullshit. I'm not you, Princess."

"You used to be," Kim's voice was lower than usual.

"And, as I keep going on, I've evolved."

Kim's face scrunched up. "If that's the case, you're saying when I evolve, I'll be like you," she pointed out.

Shego shrugged. "It's possible, cupcake. But, then again, one thing makes us to two very different creatures."

"And what's that?"

"Drive, ambition, junk like that. You have way more of it than I ever will. I mean, we both have to admit that I would be a very different person if I wanted things just a little bit more than I do," she said with a laugh.

"I think the world is thankful that you're not very ambitious, but I think I disagree with that. If you weren't very ambitious or you didn't have drive, you wouldn't have gone out and got all of those college degrees while you were working with Drakken, right?" the younger woman pointed out.

Shego waved it off. "I was bored."

"Look, Shego, I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your life. I'm just trying to say that if you don't like the situation, you have the power to change it. It's that simple. You don't have to suffer with Drakken. He's not your responsibility and we both know you don't have any interest in ruling the world."

"Well, I think technically, he would rule the world and I would get Iceland, not that I care about that anymore. What if I haven't changed? What if I'm just bored?"

"Shego, you're sitting across from Kim Possible at a coffee shop, drinking hot chocolate. Do you really think that's a sign of boredom?" Kim inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"Touché. It might be a cry for help," Shego quipped.

Kim laughed. "I really think you need to pull away from Drakken, Shego. It's slowly eating away at you."

Sighing, emerald eyes went back to the cold cup of hot chocolate. "Even if he doesn't know it anymore, he needs me. I can't just abandon someone who needs me. When I left my brothers, I didn't realize how much I had hurt them and it's bothered me. I can't do it again."

Kim nodded. "How about we go catch a movie? I don't have anymore classes for today."

Thankful for a way out of the conversation, even though she had started it, Shego nodded. Dumping her beverage in a nearby trash bin, she left with Kim. She was vaguely aware of a sensation like she was being watched, but let it go for the moment.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego let Kim's words echo through her head, but she could not bring herself to take the advice. No matter what, she felt like she needed to stick it out with Drakken, if only to protect him from himself. It seemed like trying to live in the real world, even if it was only to fool the world, was taking a toll on him. Recently, he locked himself inside of his lab and would not come out, not even to rant to her. For the past couple of days, she had been debating with herself about sneaking in and seeing if he was at least still alive. Her apathetic side kept her away, telling her if he wanted to kill himself or become a hermit, that was his business. Her concern won out.

With a plan already in mind and knowledge of how to get to where she needed to be, she disappeared into the ceiling. Crawling through several ducts, she found that Drakken seemed to be expecting her to do so. There were traps set up, but he had underestimated her abilities; or maybe Kim Possible's abilities if he was planning for her to show up and ruin his schemes, like in the good old days. The days before Drakken helped save the world and thought everyone would finally recognize his "pure genius."

"Days Drakken can't seem to let go of or move on from," she grumbled.

Shaking that thought away, Shego managed to find an opening to peer into the lab. Apparently, Drakken was still alive. The bags under his eyes looked a little heavier than usual; _probably from lack of sleep_, she concluded. His clothes seemed to hang off of him strangely too, as if he was losing weight. And, topping it off, he was talking to himself as he was working on some sort of ray gun from what she could tell.

"Poor guy has finally flipped his lid. I feel like I should do something, but I don't feel like putting up with the yelling that I know is going to come if I pop up on him. Hell, he might actually put up more traps and defenses to keep me out," Shego mumbled to herself. "Well, at least he's alive. If he stays in here for a couple more days, then I'll drag him out by the ear," she decided.

Since it was getting cramped and her leg was starting to fall asleep, Shego called her spying done after a couple of minutes. Drakken seemed as crazy as ever, but she was glad that he was still breathing. She honestly did not know what she was going to do with him beyond that.

"I wonder if he's too young for a home?" she pondered aloud. "I could always just have him committed."

Finding a chair, she dropped into it and sighed. Rubbing her temples, she tried to get her brain to shut off. She was starting to believe that Kim was right and she was just thinking too much. Two years of inertia had to be getting to her. Drakken's inability to move on and grow up seemed to be adding to it. Yet, she could not leave.

"I've got to be some sort of damn idiot," she grumbled.

For her, the chief supporting evidence for that was not even the fact that she stayed with Drakken. It was more supported by the fact that she was considering Kim might be right. The fact that she spoke to Kim enough to think the young woman gave out good advice had to be some sign of insanity. While she had no plans of turning over a new leaf, after having her mind screwed with by that Attitudinator, she found herself drifting toward Kim until they became friends. Well, somewhat friends. Neither of them seemed ready to admit that they were real friends, even though they seemed to make it a point to see each other at least once a month and often communicated with each other through emails or even calling each other on their cell phones.

Shaking her head, Shego tried to dispel her thoughts. "This is crazy. I need to stop thinking about this crap. I can't believe I've been hanging out with damn cupcake. Maybe it's my life that's out of control? I mean, seriously, I hang out with Kim-freaking-Possible, who has to see something weird in me to keep suggesting I join GJ. I'm not a hero anymore. I don't want that responsibility or attention. It's nice to be able to just disappear whenever I want to. I don't have to deal with all of that other crap," she grumbled.

Honestly, Shego was not sure what she wanted to do with her life. Right now, she felt like she had no direction. All she knew was that she needed to watch Drakken to make sure he did not go too far off the deep end. How was she to know it was too late?

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was busy trying to finish up a paper for her military history course when a familiar sound distracted her. Quickly, she grabbed her Kimmunicator and answered, "What's the sitch?"

"Hey, Kim, this could be nothing or it could be big, but I was checking on that active volcano Shego told you Drakken decided to make his new home on," Wade reported.

"Uh-huh..." Kim said, mind on both him and work now. It was good to be able to multitask.

"The information coming into me hints that it might actually erupt. I've been checking in with geologists, who seem to think it could be a small eruption or it could be massive. It's hard to tell right now, but it is rumbling. You think you want to call Shego and tell her to get out of there?" he asked.

Kim thought on it for a moment. "You know what, I think I might go there. Maybe seeing me will help scare Drakken straight again. I know the world hasn't been much different in these past couple of years without him, but it has been less annoying. Besides, he could honestly do the world some good if he would stop being such a brat about things."

"This is Drakken we're talking about. Want me to hook you up with a ride and get Ron there?"

"Please and thank you."

The call was disconnected and Kim yawned. She hoped that this was a small thing. She wanted to finish her paper tonight.

-8-8-8-8-

The lair smelled odd, but Shego seemed to be the only one that noticed. She had made sure that Drakken ate something and noted that he was only focused on his work, so the odor did not reach him. She was not sure what to make of the smell and considered it might be one of the doctor's many experiments. Either way, she ignored it and mostly ignored Drakken, until he called her. She answered that time, thinking that the silly man might have realized he had not eaten anything in the past few hours and was hungry again.

"What's up, Doctor D?" Shego inquired as she stepped into the room. She did not think anything that he had a massive, black metallic gun aimed at her the second that she walked into the door. Some concern did surge through her when he started laughing, though. Frowning, she chided him, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to point?"

"Shego, you've got some nerve!" Drakken snarled.

_Drakken's acting strange, even for him_, Shego thought, but she still did not give it much consideration. There was not much chance to contemplate the matter as the lair shook and there was a loud rumbling noise. Shego looked around and hated to think what that noise might mean.

"Drakken, Shego!" Kim called as she and Ron dropped in quite literally.

"Kim Possible!" Drakken shouted in shock.

"Just like old times," Ron quipped with a slight laugh.

"Princess, what the hell are you doing here?" Shego inquired, keeping an eye on Drakken rather than on their "foes." There was something troubling about the fact that he still had his weapon trained on her, even though Kim and Ron were right there.

"We need to get out of here. This volcano's going to erupt at any moment!" Kim informed them.

"Even when it's boring, it's never a dull day," Shego muttered, now understanding that the smell was fumes from the volcano. Her attention quickly went to Drakken. "Come on, Doc, let's get out of here," she commanded.

"I'm not going anywhere until I take care of you! You're a traitor, Shego! I wondered why everything was such a problem with you and why your attitude was so poor, but now I see you sold me out for Kim Possible!" Drakken declared.

An ink-colored eyebrow arched. "What the hell are you going on about, Doc? Let's go! We don't have time for your stupidity!" she argued.

"You think I didn't know! You thought you could just betray me to my greatest enemy!" Drakken screamed at his sidekick, tears gathering in his dark eyes.

"What are you talking about! Doc, I haven't done anything!" Shego actually tried to reason with him.

"We don't have time for this! Drakken, you can be crazy outside, a few hundred miles away from the active, erupting volcano!" Ron pointed out.

"You're selling me out to Kim Possible and then you're going to try to take over the world without me!" Drakken cried. "You just abandoned me for Kim Possible of all people!"

Shego opened her mouth, undoubtedly to deny the charges. Kim noticed there was a low buzzing noise and could guess what was happening. Charging, she pushed Shego out of the way just as the weapon fired and the lair shook from another tremor in the volcano. Kim was zapped dead on, stopping in her tracks while a crack broke open in the floor, knocking Drakken's machine off track, aiming it at the ceiling.

"What the hell did you do?" Shego screamed and it was unclear if she was talking to her employer or her supposed-rival.

Lava burst through the floor, gushing and melting some of Drakken's weapon. The heat was almost unbearable and the fumes threatened to drive them all to distraction. Briefly, they were caught in place, but they were able to shake it off. Another lava flow burst in between Kim and Ron. Shego rushed at Kim, grabbing her by the hand, trying to pull her from danger. Kim was stuck to the floor, though.

"What the hell?" Shego muttered for what felt like the millionth time.

"I'm stuck …" Kim mumbled. Green eyes looked down at Kim's small feet and saw that a thick crystal-like substance was rapidly covering her whole body.

"Why did you do that? He was going to hit me," Shego growled, firing plasma at the crystal. Her plasma faded as soon as it touched the crystal. Lava continued exploding through the floor and covering the room. The gases threatened to choke her, but Shego refused to give in.

"K.P!" Ron called, trying to figure out a way around the pools of deadly lava to get to his best friend. He swooned slightly, but stayed on his feet as the ground beneath him trembled and quaked. His lungs burned, but he was determined to get over to the redhead.

Olive eyes turned to Shego as the crystal engulfed her neck. "Shego, go before you can't."

"I can't just leave you like this!" Shego said, continuing to fling plasma only to find it was having no affect on the crystal. She coughed and gagged, but did not cease her assault on the substance holding Kim.

"Shego, it's not working. You need to save yourself and Ron," Kim implored, eyes straying over to her best friend. The blond was blocked by yet another jet of lava. She feared that he would get himself killed trying to get to her, not knowing that she could not be moved. She then turned her attention back to the older woman. "Shego, I'm begging you. I don't want you and Ron to die …"

Emerald eyes focused on pleading olive ones and Shego gulped. "Kim …"

With the crystal at her chin, Kim knew that she had one last chance to say something important. "Tell my family and Ron that I love them and, Shego, I've always admired you …" The substance then covered her mouth and up her nose, leaving her eyes conveying some sort of emotion that Shego could not figure out. Maybe it was sorrow, but it certainly was not regret or fear. And then Kim as gone and the floor was torn open.

"Shit!" Shego hollered, jumping backwards as lava gushed between her and Kim. The floor underneath Kim's frozen body splintered and shattered beneath her. "NO!" Shego screamed as Kim's body disappeared into a void of molten rock. Thus was the end of Kim Possible and the beginning of everything else.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a world without Kim Possible.


	2. 1: The Legend

These characters are not mine; they belong to Disney. Ryujin is the property of YogurthFrost.

1: The Legend

"I think … I think we actually got something!" a deep male voice cheered.

"You've said that many times over the years. It's never a good thing," a skeptical, sneering female voice replied.

"You've gotten so much more cynical in the years."

"Excuse the fuck out of me. I've only been carrying a legacy that wasn't mine to begin with and trying to keep the world from falling into the hands of a fucking megalomaniac egomaniac."

There was a chuckle. "You mean the other egomaniac, right?"

"Keep it up and I'll send your ass to the other egomaniac in a shoebox."

"Okay, all jokes aside, this looks promising. I think that might actually be her. It has all the right signals and by all calculations is in the right spot."

A long, loud sigh was the first response. "I suppose we have to check any and all possibilities, no matter how wrong you've been in the past. How sure are you this time?"

"I'm damn near certain. It's a bit tricky, but this is just sending my scanners into overdrive. It's the chemical make up of both the substance and a body. Bio-scans show that it fits all the details of being her."

"Fine. Where is it? I'll send the kid to check it out."

"The Sea of Despair."

"Of course because why should this be easy?" There was another sigh. "I definitely have to send the kid out there for this one then."

"You want to send someone with him?"

"Anyone other than his aunt would slow him down and I'm not letting that much power run off on one of your wild goose chases."

"Why does it have to be my goose chase?" the male voice inquired.

"Because I have my own birds to chase, so you have to own something around here. Now, where is the kid?"

There was a shrug from broad shoulders. "Hell if I know. He might have gone back to the mountains."

"Find out."

"No problem."

"Anything else or can I go now? I do have borders to secure and make sure nothing's been raided in the last twenty-four hours."

"I think that's about it unless you want to know the progress on the new hardware."

There was a pause. "Has there been progress?"

"Not so much, but I am willing to bet that things might look a bit better once we get her. She wore the original like it was a second-skin, but then again, you know that already, don't you?" A teasing smirk followed the question.

"Fuck you, Load," was the sharp witted rebuttal.

He chuckled a bit. "No thank you. My wife handles that quite well."

"Shut up and get the kid over here and give him the fucking assignment. Now, I have other things to do with my time."

A noise from her long cape echoed through the dimly lit room as she left the area. There was a sigh before attention was turned to a computer screen. There was some typing before a figure in all black appeared on the screen.

"Wade, what can I do for you?" the figure, clearly a ninja, inquired.

"We need to borrow Ryujin for a mission," Wade replied.

"How long of a mission? I'll need to make arrangements for any long absences."

"I know. I'm not too sure how long it'll take beyond him needing to make a trip out to the Sea of Despair. There have been some recent developments in our side quest," Wade remarked, smiling a bit.

"I've heard that before. I'm not sure it's wise to let Ryujin run around in that swamp chasing ghosts when we could be attacked at any moment. Were there orders given to have him deployed?"

"Orders from the lady in charge herself. I'm actually very confident about this one."

"You've been confident in the past, Wade. It still hasn't produced results."

"Ouch. You guys are all over me today. I'm trying my best, okay? Do you know how hard this is to do? Especially after all of the changes that have gone on since this happened? Can you cut me a break?" Wade demanded. His face was full tension as his abilities were called into question, yet again.

"It's these kinds of things that keep us on the losing end of things. We shouldn't be wasting time and man-power on ghost hunts."

"You want to tell that to _her_?" Wade pressed.

There was a grunt. "How long do you think this is going to take? Again, I need to make a schedule for him and for anyone training with him if he's going to be gone for a long time."

"Like I said, it should just depend on how long it takes him to get to the Sea of Despair. I would give it maybe a week. What do you think?"

"A week? What type of weakling do you take Ryujin for?" the ninja demanded with a growl.

"I'm saying the whole thing should take about a week. He does have to do some searching too and we all know that the Sea of Despair is not an easy place to look for something, especially something that's been buried for twenty years," Wade pointed out.

"You're right. I'll send him to you right away."

The communication was cut before Wade could say anything further. He shook his head at the black screen before scratching his head, which was covered in long, wavy black hair. Yawning, he tried not to let himself get too happy over things.

"This is it. I know it is. I feel like things are going to finally be all right after all this time," Wade commented with a smile, speaking to the air. His short moment alone was ended when a young man suddenly appeared before him.

"You called?" the youthful blond teenager dressed in all white inquired. There was a small smile on his tan, freckled face.

"That was faster than I expected," Wade said.

"Well, the faster I leave, then the faster I get back. You do know he thinks this is a real waste of time, right?"

"He's gotten his hopes up too many times too early. I'm sorry for that. But, this time I think it might really be it and I have the boss-lady's okay, which is why you get to go," Wade reported with a smile.

A bright smile lit up the teen's face. "I can't wait."

"Now, this is a very important mission, Ryu."

"I take all of my missions seriously, Uncle Wade," Ryujin pointed out, not that Wade needed a reminder of that.

"I know," Wade agreed, climbing to his feet. Sitting down, he had had to look up to Ryujin, but standing up, he easily dwarfed the young man by several inches. Moving away from his computer console, he marched over to table, which was littered with electronic devices in various stages of completion. He plucked up a small device that looked something like a cell phone.

"You sure have a lot of junk here, Uncle Wade," Ryujin commented.

"It's been worse," Wade grumbled, scratching his head as he looked table over. "Now, were you briefed on the mission or should I go over the specs with you?"

"I was told I was going ghost hunting for the body of a legend!" Ryujin reported with a grin.

"Not exactly. You'll be hunting for the material that the body is in. It's the only way to track her. This device is going to pick up on those specific elements and compounds that make up the material. That's the default mode of this, so once you turn it on, it will start tracking the material," Wade explained, holding up the small device.

"Okay, and what do I do once I find that material?"

"First, you do a scan. You hit this little button on the side," Wade replied, showing the boy the button that he meant. "A series of applications are going to appear on the screen and you go through each other in order. If any of them fail, the device is going to shut down and you return here. Got it?"

The blond nodded. "If any of them fail … does that mean she's dead?" he asked curiously.

"For all intents and purposes, yes." Even though he tried to sound all business, there was a grim despair in his eyes.

"I'm sure that won't happen. This is the Legend, after all. If I find her, this whole war would be over in a matter of hours probably," Ryujin declared.

Wade chuckled a bit and shook his head. "The fairy tales are getting out of hand if you believe one person is going to stop what's going on."

"Uncle Wade, this is the Legend."

"You live with legends and you're still impressed by a fairy tale?" Wade inquired. The mythology of one person was so interesting, he thought.

"It's not a fairy tale. She exists, after all. Now, what do I do once all the scans finish?"

Wade turned around and picked up another device, which look like a small, silver egg. "This, you twist in the middle and it comes apart. You stick each on opposite sides of her body and then press the tops of them. They'll do the rest."

Ryujin nodded as he was given the egg. He secured it and the other device on a pouch around his waist. "Is that it?"

"If all goes well and according to plan, you bring her back here."

"Take her directly to—" The poor boy could not even finish his question before Wade was waving his arms around madly to tell him that was a very bad idea.

"NO! Do not do that. Bring her to the small conference room if anything. Remember, Ryu, it's been twenty years. We have to ease her into life around here. Don't try to overload her with a bunch of information, even if she has tons of questions. You don't want to put too much on her. This world is very different compared to the one that she came from," Wade explained.

"But, she'll be able to fix it, just like before," the younger man proclaimed confidently.

"Ryu, she's just one person."

"One person that kept this from happening when she was around. One person that can do anything," Ryujin pointed out with a smile.

Wade sighed and shrugged. "While I don't agree with your logic, you have a point. Besides, I do believe things'll get better with her around. She just makes things happen. I mean, yes, plenty of us make things happen, but she's just different. I don't think I could put it into words."

"Yeah, the words are 'the Legend,'" Ryujin remarked with an easygoing grin.

"Anyway, do you need anything on your way? You are going to the Sea of Despair. Have you even been in the area before?" Wade asked.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wade. This'll be easy."

"Easy? The Sea of Despair is a swamp the size of a large country full of mutated animals that eat just about anything and you expect me to believe it'll be easy?" Wade asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Uncle Wade, how many times have I gone into battle?"

"Countless."

"This is just a swamp with animals and I'm good with animals, so I think this'll be easy compared to the missions I usually get. So, can I go now?" Ryujin inquired, smiling as he spoke.

"One more thing," Wade said. He stepped away and went into a cupboard, hidden in a wall panel. Pulling out a small bundle wrapped in what appeared to be black velvet, he turned back to the teenager. "If she is alive, give her this and make sure she puts it on as soon as she's revived," he ordered.

Ryujin nodded. "I promise I will bring her back."

"No matter what condition she's in?" Wade inquired and he had a feeling that Ryujin would.

"It would be my honor," he replied.

"I expected you to say as much. Now, you have to be careful in the Sea of Despair. Like I said, it's dangerous. There's all sorts of creatures there that you've never seen. Even the trees and the water can't be trusted," Wade tried to warn the teenager.

"I'll be fine, Uncle Wade. You worry too much," he said with an easygoing wave.

"That would be my honor," Wade teased.

Ryujin chuckled and then he vanished in a puff of white smoke. Wade sighed and flopped down back into his chair. Scratching his head, he stared up at the ceiling.

"I hope this is it. I hope this is her. While I know it's wishful thinking that she might be the thing to end all of this insanity, I know she can help and I know her presence would definitely help around here," Wade muttered to himself.

-8-8-8-8-

Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Ryujin traveled to the Sea of Despair by foot. It did not take him long, but he was cautious as he drew closer to the border and to the sea. He had been to the border plenty of times, but he had never been to the Sea of Despair, also known as the Marsh. It was called the marsh because that was what it was. It was a swamp-area that was the size of a great sea.

He had heard plenty of stories about the Sea of Despair. There were some patches of the swamp that had water depths that would rival anything in the ocean. There were spots were the water was beyond poisonous to a human being. He had even heard stories that there were places in the marshland where there was acid instead of water. He did not believe the latter much, but he had seen so much in his short life that he would not be surprised if there was acid in the deadly sea.

Then there were the monsters. Once upon a time, they were regular animals, but then again, once upon a time, the world was rather normal and relatively at peace. Those times were long ago, as were those mutants time of being members of the natural order. Anything living in the Sea of Despair was a transformed deviant of nature through no fault of its own. But, then again, so much of the world was twisted and changed though no fault of its own.

There was a story going around that the Sea of Despair was actually cursed. It was such a horrible place that the trees and plant life was evil and ate flesh. Again, he did not believe it much, but would not be surprised if it were true.

"Stranger things have happened," he murmured to himself. "Like the fact that I get to meet the Legend," he added with a delighted grin as he drew closer to the sea.

Coming up to the border, he could see the mountains in the distance that cut the world in half. The Sea of Despair did the same. For him and many others, these were the places were freedom ended and Hell began.

Taking a deep breath, he charged into the Sea of Despair. After crossing a few hills, he found himself standing at the edge what looked like black water. Mangrove trees and small islands covered in brush stretched out in the unending tar-like water. The canopy seemed to block out whatever sunlight that might have wanted to intrude. Mist rose up, like fumes from the bog, and the marshland smelled like a compost heap.

"This place really is depressing," he commented to himself as he pulled out the device that Wade gave him. As he was turning it on to get his bearings, two black heads with glowing yellow eyes popped up on each of his shoulders. "Sugar, Spice, you guys ready for the greatest adventure of all time?" he asked the pair of giant roaches, moving his free hand to scratch underneath the chin of both of them. They cooed—as much as a roach could coo. "We're about to meet the Legend. Somewhere in this swamp," Ryujin said, awe in his voice.

The white-clad ninja leaped into the swamp, making sure to land on the mangrove tree roots or in the thick branches. He did not trust the all black water. For a moment, he suspected that the probably-poisonous liquid had killed any and all life that might have existed in the Marsh. Sensing how wrong he was as he landed in the treetop, he ducked just in time to be missed by a diving, giant bat.

The teen turned to take in the creature that was gunning for him to see that it had a wing-span longer than he was tall. It turned, screeching at him with the head that more fit a big-eared wolf than a bat, including inch long canines. Ryujin crouched down, hoping the dark leaves of the tree would hide him in case the bat wanted to try again. He would rather not hurt an animal unless it was necessary and he found that it was not necessary.

Out of the water came an even bigger threat—a crocodile that had to be at least six meters long. The reptile shot out of the water, thrusting upward with the use of its tail and snatched the bat out of the air with its mighty jaws. A massive wave of muddy water splashed as the monster landed and the sound of its teeth breaking bones rang in Ryujin's ears as he watched the crocodile devour the bat after a couple of bites. The bony spiked back of the animal then disappeared back into the depths of the swamp.

Ryujin breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess Uncle Wade wasn't kidding. I didn't know crocs that big still existed. I guess I better be careful," he muttered more to himself than anything else, but his two roaches were suddenly on his shoulders again, nodding in agreement. "Don't wanna be lunch before I get to meet the Legend."

Charging out of the tree, Ryu checked his tracking device while making sure to keep an eye out for any other predators. Knowing about the crocodiles now, he could spot the tell-tale signs of their glowing eyes in the dark. Of course, he knew it would be the croc that he did not see that would get him if he was not careful.

Coming to the edge of a mangrove island, he met something even more terrifying than the giant crocodiles. Standing by the water, a mega-sized barracuda leaped out of the water, almost snapping his head off with mighty jaws and jagged teeth. The expert ninja nearly fell over from the surprise. Breathing a sigh of relief, he decided to be even more careful than before.

Taking things slowly, he was able to observe what went on in the vast wetlands. The deeper he went in, the more life he was able to find among the mangroves as well as the vast stretches of flat marsh. Islands of floating vegetation went by and he was not too sure if he could trust them for footing, but sometimes it was all he had to avoid trampling through the muddy bowels of the swamp.

Landing on a set of mangroves, Ryujin stared into the marshland and then turned his attention to the device that Wade had given him. With his mind on getting his bearings, he almost failed to notice movement behind him. Leaping back and taking out his sword, he found himself slicing a moving tree branch, which had been aiming for his pets.

"Whoa, this place is crazy," he muttered, realizing the tree was probably just as dangerous as anything else around. "You guys all right back there?" he asked the pair of roaches.

The two insects clicked their responses, which was good enough for the blond. He bolted off again, not wanting to tempt fate with the anxious tree. He decided that maybe it was not best for him to be completely arboreal. Hopping onto the closest mass of land, he found the long grass wrapping around his foot. The blades of ever-green crept up his leg while trying to pull him down. He was able to cut himself free with a kunai on his belt. Making his escape, he get an idea of what he had truly escaped as he landed on the next mangrove island.

From some bushes, a deer-like animal leaped out and landed on a patch of floating reeds. The deer cried out as it was engulfed in grass and pulled down. If Ryujin did not know better, he would swear the grass just ate that deer based on the noise coming from the scene. The way the deer disappeared into the marsh reminded him of something being tugged down by quicksand.

"I hope the Legend is close because I don't want to end up part of another legend," Ryujin muttered, taking off again. He certainly did not want to become part of the body count lost to the Sea of Despair.

Being cautious of where he landed, Ryujin made sure to keep some of his attention on the tracking device that Wade gave him. He saw that he was getting closer to the target while also making sure to watch out for any more killer flora and fauna. As he made his journey, he could see why everything in the swamp was considered a monster.

Trees snatched birds from the air, branches crushing the feathered creatures. The moss on top of the water yanked large insects and rodents almost whenever it got the chance and dissolved the poor creatures. The plants were even grabbing the crocodiles and what appeared to be black jaguars. Flowers and grass were eating the same, also taking horses and deer. Even the big rocks around the area seemed to be devouring anything alive. Ryujin was surprised that the mist and fog in the marsh were not eating things.

It was a bit of a surprise that there was so much life in the swamp. Everywhere else on the planet was so dead or life was somewhat scarce. The Sea of Despair was supposed to be so toxic that everything was dead, like the other poisoned areas on the planet. Of course, as vast as the swamp was, it was not overly teaming with life, but still, it was amazing.

"Sugar, Spice, I think we're getting close. That cave over there seems to be our destination. With luck, it'll be safer in there than out here," Ryujin said.

In the distance, the blond ninja could see a pile of rocks with a large opening. He made his way over to it and slowly entered it, wondering what interesting items lay within the cavern. The mouth of the cave was not very big, barely three meters high. Ryujin was careful as he entered because the cave opening hardly had any solid ground and he did not trust the water, not sure of the depth.

The sound of water dripping hit his sensitive ears as he moved deeper into the cavern, which was thankfully mostly solid rock. Insects buzzed around him; some of them actually being snapped at and eaten by his pets. The cave dwellers seemed a little less hostile than the swamp creatures as the insects and rodent life did not seem to bother with Ryujin. He turned his attention to the device, needing to locate exactly where he needed to be.

Wading through ankle-deep water when he had to, but sticking to solid rock whenever he could, Ryujin felt like he was going below the Earth as he moved. It was like entering Hades, he thought. He kept a close eye out for ghosts … just in case.

"Okay, Sugar, Spice, keep your eyes open for anything that looks like it doesn't belong in a cave. Although, from what I remember, she was trapped in crystal, which would belong in a cave, so I guess you should look for something that does belong, but doesn't," he explained, succeeding in confusing both the roaches and himself.

Either way, six eyes kept a lookout for what they were searching for. Suddenly, the device in his hand began beeping. It played a little melody that was used by pretty much all electronics made by Wade. Looking down at it, Ryujin saw that it was flashing red. Looking up, he could see why.

"The Legend…" Ryujin whispered, taking in the sight of a faint face hidden in crystal that was trapped within the wall of the cave. The light crystal stood out in the dark grey rock, even in an area with little light.

Wading through a shallow pool, Ryujin stood before the crystal. He hit the button on the side of the device as he had been instructed to do. Waiting for the applications to appear on the screen, he stared at the face beyond the crystal. He could barely make out the visage, but he knew soon he would be able to see the face behind the Legend. He started the scans, going through everyone in order as he was told to do. Even though none of the scans were long, they each seemed to last an eternity to him.

"This is taking forever," he grumbled, getting nods from his two companions.

The scans were over eventually and everything came up green. The results put a grin on Ryujin's face and he reached for the egg-shaped device that Wade had given him. Again, he did as instructed, twisting the thing in half and putting each half on opposite sides of the crystal; one went to the left and one went to the right. He pushed down on the tops and stepped back, wondering what was going to happen now. After a few seconds, nothing happened.

"Did Uncle Wade give me a dud?" the teenager pondered, even though he was not sure what the things were supposed to do. "I'm pretty sure they should do something, though, and not nothing like they are."

He was about to step back over to them, even though he knew that would have been a stupid move. Suddenly, the pieces began to glow and the crystal began to melt. His jaw dropped open as he recalled the story that the Legend was supposedly sealed in crystal that could not be broken, but his Uncle Wade had managed to do it. Of course, he had over twenty years to figure out how to do it, but Ryujin still thought that Wade was brilliant. He then stopped thinking about that as pale body fell forward. Moving quickly, he caught the Legend and stared down at the mop of red hair. His dark brown eyes could not believe what he was seeing and his body could not believe who it was holding.

"Is she alive?" he wondered and then he heard a small groan escape her.

He nearly dropped her as he realized that he was holding the living Legend. Shaking fingers clutched his biceps and she pushed off of him. Struggling to her feet and pushing back her mane of fiery red hair, their eyes locked. He could see that the olive orbs were cloudy, but he was more focused on her whole face. He could not believe it. It was really her.

"You're actually the Legend. You're Kim Possible …" Ryujin whispered incredulously, even though he knew that he would be meeting her if all went well. It was still so beyond him. "You're actually, really Kim Possible." He grinned. Everything would be fine now!

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim tries to figure out what's going on while they try to get out of the Sea of Despair.


	3. 2:Nebulous

These characters are not mine; they belong to Disney. Ryujin is the property of YogurthFrost.

2: Nebulous

The first thing that Kim Possible, also known as the Legend, did after Ryujin freed her from her crystal prison was vomit. Thankfully, she did it away from him. She heaved much more than he would have expected and her being sick seemed to make her lithe body buckle. Reaching out, he was almost scared to touch her as she crouched over, breathing heavy. He wondered if that was a normal reaction. But, then again, could there be a normal reaction to being trapped in a crystal for twenty years? He doubted it.

"Um ... want some water?" Ryujin offered her awkwardly as she coughed up whatever was left in her stomach and lungs.

The voice caused her to whip her head around and she seemed to remember that she was not alone. For a moment, her olive eyes seemed confused, which was understandable, considering the circumstances. Her body was tense and the bewilderment in her eyes quickly changed to some fierce sort of panic that Ryujin had never seen before. It probably did not help matters that there was virtually no light in the cave for her to make out who was there. She squinted to try to see the figure clearly.

"Ron?" Kim's voice was in shambles, sounding like she had everything that ever existed stuck in her throat. Coughing some more, she turned her head, spitting out whatever it was that wanted to come up.

"My name's Ryujin," the teen explained, reaching for his canteen. She was obviously going to need some water by the time she was done. "I was sent to find you," he added.

"Ryujin? Find me?" Kim echoed in a confounded manner. Rubbing her eyes, she turned back to him. "What happened, Ron? Did Drakken throw us into one of his uber-complicated traps?" she inquired. Once she was done rubbing her eyes, she went to rub her head. "I have such a major headache and everything is a blur. I wonder what happened," she muttered, shaking her head as if that would restore her memory.

"Um ... what do you remember?" he asked curiously, titling his head slightly. There had always been talk that if they were to ever find the Legend and wake her up that she would probably be completely fuddled mentally, but he was not expecting her to mistake him for someone else. But, then again, they always said that there was no telling what state of mind she would be, if she would remember what happened to her. Hell, if she would even remember who she was or what life used to be like before she was frozen.

"Remember about what?" she inquired, still rubbing her head. It did not appear that her headache was going to go away anytime soon.

"Anything. Do you remember anything at all? Like your name?" he asked.

"Of course, Ron. I'm Kim Possible," she answered, forcing out a smile.

He nodded. Clearly her memory was not that bad, even if she continued to call him "Ron." He decided to look past that and just try to assess how much she remembered beyond what her name was.

"What's your last memory? Do you remember what happened to you the last time you saw Drakken?" Ryujin asked in a gentle tone.

Her brow wrinkled as her eyebrows drew closer together. Putting her head down, she ran her hand through her hair and rubbed her scalp. After a few long seconds, a rather scary growl escaped her.

"I can't remember. What happened?" Kim inquired, looking up at him as if he had all the answers.

"Uh ... I don't really know," he answered honestly. Beyond the myths, fables, and legends, he did not know much about Kim Possible. He did know for a fact that she had met her "end" by the hands of Doctor Drakken, but nothing more than that as far as her last adventure.

"Did whatever happen to me happen to you?" she asked, obviously trying to make sense of what was going on, but having no luck.

"No. What happened to you ..." he trailed off, scratching his head, not sure what to say. He did not have nearly as many answers as she would need and he knew better than to try. "Look, let's get out of here and I can take you to some people that will be able to answer all of your questions," he promised.

She arched an eyebrow. "Take me to some people?"

"Yeah, people that would be able to help you. There's a lot you don't know about. I can fill you in on some, but not enough."

Those olive eyes got that look of bewilderment again. "What are you talking about?"

"First, I think you should take this," he said, going into one of his pouches and pulling out the bundle that Wade gave him. "Wade said I should give this to you as soon as you were up."

"Wade?" There was a flash of recognition in her eyes and she slowly took the package from him. Opening up, she smiled a little. "It's my battle suit."

"Battle suit?" he echoed. Oh, thank Uncle Wade for thinking ahead! "You should definitely put that on now."

"What?" Kim stared at him as if he had grown an extra head right in front of her.

"You really need to put that on now. When we get out of here, we're going to be some place called the Sea of Despair. It's a huge marshland full of monsters. Even the grass was trying to eat me on the way in. Supposedly, there's even supposed to be like man-beast somewhere in here … But, I didn't see it on the way. I did see a bunch of monsters, though. In fact, everything in the swamp might be a monster of some kind," he insisted.

Kim chuckled and shook her head. "Over-active imagination much, Ron?"

"It's Ryujin and I'm deadly serious. So, I'll turn around and you need to put that on," he tried to assure her. He then turned his back to her.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm not putting this one right now," she informed him. "I'm already in mission clothes."

"You have to put it on. Trust me. So, I'm going to stay turned around and you have to put that on."

"Ron—" She tried to object, but he cut in.

"You have to put it on. I'm not joking around here. Now, please, put the suit on and we can get going. There's so much that you don't know about. If we're going to go anywhere, you have to put that suit on," he insisted, keeping his back to her. It was not something that he was accustomed to nor was it something that he liked, but he had to respect her privacy … and the idea that she could probably kill him in more ways than he could imagine if stories were to be believed.

"Not until you explain some of this. What's going on, Ron?" Kim's voice was something between begging and outraged. He had never heard anything like it.

"I told you, I'm Ryujin. I don't think you'll believe me if I tell you what's going on and I'm not sure how to break it to you. In fact, I probably shouldn't break it to you because I might actually mess up. But, I promise you, when we walk out of this cave, you'll see why you need the battle suit. This place where we are is … toxic," he reported.

"Toxic? You mean like poisonous or actually toxic?" she asked.

"Both. Most of the animals and plants out there are mutants because the place is a toxic wasteland. I told you, everything in this place is a monster and they mostly want to eat meat. So, please, put the battle suit on."

When there were no more questions, Ryujin assumed that she was putting on the clothes. He also assumed—correctly—that she was vomiting again when he heard her coughing. He hoped that she got all of that out of her system and that she did not have any other ill side-effects. They would need to make a quick getaway through the swamp and having to stop because she was sick would slow them down considerably. He was not interested in finding out what other things lurked in the Sea of Despair.

"All right, I think I'm ready to go," Kim said, stepping over to him. Glancing at her, he noticed that she was pale, almost piqued. He hoped that her sickness passed quickly.

"Are you sure? Do you think that maybe you need to … uh …" He was not sure how to bring up "vomiting more" without it making him gag a little.

"I'm fine," she stated in a tone that he recognized, even though he did not know her. He had heard the tone from a few ladies, full of grit and determination.

"All right. When we get into the swamp, you have to be careful. In most spots, you can't even see the water. It's covered in algae and grass, but there are places where the water is as deep as the ocean, which is why we call it the Sea of Despair," he explained.

"I've never heard of this place before."

"Uh … it's kinda new," he vaguely explained. Really, most of the world was kind of new when compared to what it had been when Kim was last awake, so he was not really lying.

"How new? How long have I been trapped?" she asked.

"Really, those are questions best saved for the other people, who are really better adapt at this sort of thing. I can't really explain it. I was just supposed to come and get you. I woke you up and I can explain the Sea of Despair, but the big questions you have to ask the people in charge."

"In charge of what? What are you talking about, Ron?" she inquired, her eyes laced with confusion.

Ryujin decided against correcting her again. He could understand her bemusement. He did bear a striking resemblance to the man after all and the last time she was awake Ron was a little older than Ryujin. If her memories were as cloudy as they seemed, she was probably remembering Ron at his age, so he could not blame her for the continuous mistaken identity.

"We should get going. We don't want to spend too many nights in this place. The nocturnal animals are scarier than the ones out during the day," he informed her, walking back toward the entrance of the cave.

Kim quietly followed behind him, which surprised him a bit. He thought that she would continue arguing, but he let it slide. The confusion and illness were probably affecting her mental condition. He could only wonder what it was like to sleep for over twenty years and not even be aware of it. It was a testament to her will that she was even moving as far as he was concerned.

Ryujin was slow and deliberate in his steps. One, he wanted to make sure Kim kept up with him and, two, he wanted to make sure nothing came out of nowhere and harmed Kim in any way. Yes, she was the Legend and all, but in her current condition, he doubted that she would stand a chance against any of the dangers in the Marsh.

"There's the entrance. Are you ready for this?" Ryujin asked his new traveling companion.

"I said I'm fine. Let's see what you're talking about," Kim declared, stepping past him and out into a world that she did not know existed.

Before anything else, the smell hit Kim like a metal bat to the side of the head. All she could do was dry-heave as she had lost whatever might have been in her stomach back in the cave. Almost dropping to her knees, she maintained her composure and remained on her feet, even though she was a little wobbly. Once the tidal wave of nausea receded, she was able to look out into the swamp.

She could almost swear that the plant life was moving, she thought, as she watched the large trees sway to the breeze and long grass moving too. They just did not seem to be moving in the right direction of the wind. The leaves drooped off the crooked branches as if seemed to move as if enticing someone closer, like they were some kind of trap. Kim had never seen a simple plant look so dangerous.

Olive eyes shifted to the nearest spot of water. She understood what her companion meant about the water now. Most of it was covered in green moss and algae, but there was patches where the water showed and it looked like liquid onyx because it was so black. She would not have been surprised if it bubbled like tar.

"Just follow me. I remember how to get out of here," Ryujin told her.

"Where did this come from? Where are we?" Kim inquired, trying to piece things together to get her bearings. Nowhere in her mental data-base could she bring up "Sea of Despair" and the place did not look familiar, and she had been all over the world and was rather good in geography.

"I told you, it's the Sea of Despair. It's sort of the borderlands, which is just made up of this and the mountains. You can learn a lot more once we get out of here. It's not really safe to stand here and talk about things," Ryujin replied, senses taking in all that he could to make sure that they were safe at the moment.

Kim shook her head. She did not understand any of what he just said. Nothing was adding up. _What's going on?_

"Come on, let's go. With luck, we'll be out of here before it get's dark. I really don't want to spend a night here," Ryujin said, a shuddering racing through him. As a ninja, he was a light sleeper anyway, but making camp in the Sea of Despair … he would rather find himself unable to wake up from a nightmare. Oh, wait, that was what a night in the Sea of Despair was.

The blond did not give Kim much of a choice, running off before she could open her mouth. She followed him as best she could. Glancing down at her legs, she wondered why they would not carry her any faster and why they felt like they might give out at any moment. _Maybe Drakken did something to me_, she considered. It was plausible.

"Try to step where I step. I discovered the hard way that the plants around here are ravenous," Ryujin remarked with a lopsided smile.

"Since when do you use words like ravenous?" Kim asked with a teasing smile.

"I told you, I'm not who you think I am," he replied with a sigh. He hoped that she could wrap her mind around that soon. He was not going to be comfortable with her calling him "Ron" for the whole trip and he was pretty sure her inability to grasp basic information that was repeated to her numerous times would lower his opinions of the Legend.

Kim disregarded that response and they kept moving. The redhead did her best to divide her attention between keeping up with "Ron" and taking in the scenery before her. She did not understand where they were and it was bothering her. Why was it that she did not know where they? Why had she never heard of the swamp that they were in? Why did her mind feel so hazy?

So wrapped up in her thoughts, Kim failed to notice where Ryujin put his foot and missed the patch of grass that he hit. Instead, she planted her foot on some rather soft dirt. Grunting, she found that she was stuck and being pulled down into the marsh. Turning her head, she saw that the blades of grass were crawling up her leg.

"What the—!" Kim gasped as she was yanked.

"Oh, no," Ryujin muttered as he turned to see what was going on. Quickly, he flung two kunai, cutting through the grass and freeing up the redhead. "You have to be careful around here," he reminded her.

"What is this place?" Kim wondered aloud, but her companion thought that she was asking. She yanked herself up out of the muck.

"I told you, it's a toxic wasteland and everything in it is an animal. So, you have to be careful," he repeated.

"I heard you before. I just didn't think the grass was killer too," Kim somewhat snapped. She was annoyed that he kept warning her about the swamp. She was Kim Possible. She could take care of herself.

"Everything in the swamp is killer," he said again.

"I got it," she replied in a clipped tone.

Ryujin flinched a bit from the tone, but they continued on without any other words. Kim was slow, no matter how hard she pushed herself. She could not figure out why that was. Pausing on a small island that was relatively safe, she pondered what was wrong with her.

"Why can't I remember how I ended up in that cave? Why don't I remember what Drakken did to me? What's going on? Why don't I know this place? Something seems off about Ron too," Kim muttered to herself, sitting against a tree. Running a hand through her hair, she struggled to recall something, but nothing was coming to mind. She could not even recollect how old she was.

"Hey, you want some water?" Ryujin offered, holding up his canteen and pulling Kim from her thoughts.

"Huh?" she asked, head snapping to attention.

"Water," he repeated, shaking the container at her.

"Oh." Kim moved to get the canteen. "Thank you," she said before taking a swig from the canteen. The cool water felt good to her throat and empty stomach. She then handed the canteen back to him.

"We might have to make camp here. It seems about as safe as anywhere else," Ryujin suggested, placing his water back in the pouch on his waist.

"Why don't we just keep moving? This place is just as dangerous in the day, right?" Kim asked with a slight laugh, as if she was trying to make a joke. It was still day, but then again, the canopy blocked out much of the sunlight. But, it was getting dark really quickly.

"I think it's worse. Besides, you need the rest," he said without thinking.

Olive eyes glared at the teenager. "What do you mean? I'm fine," she insisted. She could keep up with "Ron," after all.

"Uh …" Ryujin stammered, realizing that he had offended her. "Well, you've just been trapped for so long that it makes sense for you to need to rest. Your body needs to recharge and get used to moving again," he added, hoping that would save him. If he had learned anything in his short life was that tacos were delicious and how to placate strong, determined women before they beat his head in for saying something wrong.

Kim glanced away. "How long was I frozen for? What was I even frozen in?" she asked.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you how long and I don't even know what that stuff was that you were trapped in. We used to call it frozen jell-o, but I doubt that's what it's called. I just know you were trapped. What it was, you'll have to hold that question for someone else. What's the last thing you remember?" he inquired, wondering if anything had come to her since they had started moving. Maybe a little adrenaline and movement had jogged her memory.

The sound of Kim sucking her teeth echoed through the quiet, dark swamp. Nothing specific had come to mind yet. She could remember general things, like her family's names, and things that she had known for years, like her address. Unfortunately, none of that helped her figure out what was going on.

"It'll probably come back to you after a good sleep. Get some rest. I'll keep a look out," Ryujin offered.

"I don't need to rest," Kim insisted. She was fine! Sure, she could not recall much of anything and the world seemed strange to her, but she was sure that she would be right as rain in a few minutes.

Ryujin snorted and tried to figure out the best way to handle her. "But, I do. I think I'll take a little nap," he said. This sort of trick had been used on him since he was a toddler and he knew first hand just how well it worked.

He settled in against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes as if he was going to go to sleep. Kim eyed him, not sure what to make of his behavior, but since he was asleep, she figured that she should be the lookout. Glancing back at "Ron" every now and then, she scanned the massive marshland.

"I don't understand. Where did this place come from?" Kim wondered aloud. She tried to think of a villain that could and would do such a thing, but while she could remember various names, creating a huge swamp did not fit their MOs.

While watching everything, she could hear the low tones of the animals—and probably the plants—moving about the place. There were some growls and cries. Some of the struggles happened right before her eyes. Every time she saw an incident, she was just amazed by what she was witnessing. The entire marsh was alive … and eating everything else.

The most awe-inspiring one was a giant snake. She watched it constrict and slowly devour a huge crocodile before it disappeared into the night. Never in her life had she seen such a sight, even though she had once seen an anaconda eat a dwarf caiman. The latter paled in comparison to the former, especially the fight that went on before the snake took on the crocodile. It was like watching a ultimate fighting championship, but with lots of pointy teeth.

She saw several other animals, mostly eating each other. There were birds, bats, fish, insects, and even the trees seemed to be eating whatever came close to them. She could not help looking around the island that she and "Ron" were on and noted that it seemed fine. Apparently, some of the fauna was more carnivorous than others.

"How did this place get like this? When I get home, I'm going to have to look into this and see what I can do about cleaning up around here or something," Kim considered, taking a seat.

Kim propped her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees as she tried to remain focused. Olive eyes drifted shut and Kim's head began to nod. Ryujin smirked to himself when he noticed Kim curled up into herself with her head down. From the way that she was breathing, he was certain that she was sleeping. Sounds of the water moving around caused two pairs of eyes to shoot open.

"Does that sound like it's coming closer?" Kim inquired as Ryujin stepped over to her.

"It does," the teen concurred.

"And it probably wants to eat us," the redhead assumed.

"Probably. We should be able to take it, right?" Ryujin figured. He was standing with the Legend, after all.

"Totally," she concurred with a confident smile as she climbed to her feet.

Before they had a chance to work out a plan of any kind, they met what was coming near them. The water burst in front of them as if it had been shot with a cannon. The thick liquid splashed down, bubbling as it hit the ground. As the air cleared, they found a giant, sea-green amphibian/fish beast standing before them. Yellow spikes shot out of its shoulders, forearms, and back and seemed to go well his matching claws. Piercing golden eyes stared down at them from the ten-foot, hulking body and the smile of a happy piranha greeted them.

"I knew I smelled humans in my swamp!" the creature bellowed in a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Kim.

"What in the world is that?" Ryujin wondered aloud, calling attention to himself.

Burning, gold eyes turned to the teen. "Why if it isn't the squeeb!" the monster shouted, grinning madly as he glared down at the boy.

"I heard about some kind of mutant that lived in the Sea of Despair and how it was supposed to be like a frog mixed with a shark. It supposedly eats people," Ryujin reported. "I never believed it! I thought it was like a myth."

"That's no myth. That's Gill," Kim realized.

"Come here, squeeb!" Gill shouted, lunging for the teenager.

Ryujin ducked out of the way, missing being clawed by the fish-monster, only to find out he had other tricks up his sleeves. Turning his head, he let loose a scream and caught the youngster with sonic waves. Ryujin coughed on impact and landed awkwardly, barely able to remain upright.

"You're gonna get it now, squeeb!" Gill proclaimed with a demented look of glee on his green face.

"Leave him alone!" Kim barked, charging at Gill and planning to kick him in the ribs. Finding herself a bit slower than she expected and weaker, when the kick landed, it did nothing to him. Gill grabbed her leg and slammed her into the ground. She groaned on impact.

"Stay out of it! This is between me and the squeeb!" Gill roared, glaring at the fallen redhead before setting his sights back on Ryujin.

Ryujin was still stunned from the sonic hit, but Kim was able to stumble to her feet. Charging Gill again, she tried to keep him away from "Ron." He batted her away just as easily as before without her even touching him that time. She grunted in pain.

"I told you to stay out of it! I don't care about you! I just want Ronnie!" Gill snarled, turning his attention back to the teen.

The ninja was up in a flash, leaving Gill smashing the ground that he had been on milliseconds before. Ryujin rushed over to Kim, picking her up. He rushed them over to the other side of the tree, hiding somewhat.

"I wonder if it would help if I told him, I'm not Ronnie," Ryujin muttered to himself before turning to Kim. "You okay?" he asked, even though he could see the answer to that. She was already breathing hard and cut across the eyebrow and lip.

"Fine. I should be asking you that. The last time we saw Gill, he wasn't that big and he didn't have that paralyzing scream thing either," Kim pointed out. "But, we've beaten him before and we can do it again," she proclaimed, ready to move.

"Wait," Ryujin hissed. "Before we rush in and get clobbered again, I think we need to take some precautions. Here, take Sugar to watch your back," he proposed and the aforementioned roach popped up on his shoulder. Spice followed, wanting to see what was going on too.

"Whoa! Why are you carrying those giant roaches with you?" Kim inquired, jumping back.

"I always carry these guys with me. Now, here, take Sugar," Ryujin insisted, knowing that his pet would be of greater use to Kim than the insect would be to him.

The redhead actually dodged contact with the roach just as Gill came tearing through the mangroves. Ryujin was able to throw Sugar onto Kim back while avoiding a claw swipe from Gill. Gill recovered, trying to hit Ryujin with the other hand, but Spice actually blocked the claws. Kim could feel the weight of the bug, but was more interested in helping save her traveling companion than anything else. Wanting to bolt over, she moved, only to find that she was tangled in some of the swamp's weeds.

"Get ready to squeal, Ronnie!" Gill called out, trying to hit Ryujin with his sonic scream again.

"I'm hip to this trick already," Ryujin commented, ducking out of the way and letting several kunai fly. He watched in disbelief as the knives bounced off of Gill's massive form like they had hit a steel wall.

Gill turned, arms swinging. The boy ducked and then found Kim jumping on Gill. Sugar had chewed through the weeds holding her and now she was back with a vengeance… or so she thought anyway. Gill grabbed her by the back and tossed her over his shoulder, slamming her into the marshland. She coughed on impact, but he seemed to think that hitting the soft dirt was not enough. Yanking her up quickly, he smashed her into the tree trunk. She could not help crying out when her back collided with the tree.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Ryujin ordered.

"Oh, you want her back, squeeb? Come get her!" Gill dared the boy. "Come on, Ronnie. Come get your little girlfriend before I snap her neck!" The frog-beast snarled and glared at Kim, showing her the pointiest teeth that she had ever seen.

"Get away from her," Ryujin ordered.

"Ron, don't worry about me!" Kim called out, somewhat insulted that she was being used against the blond male.

Gill laughed. "Worry about you? He should be totally worried when I turn you into a fucking monster like me and you can live out your life in this fucking pit like me! Do you think she's like that, Ronnie? Would you like that, you fucking squeeb? I'd take your fucking woman like you took my fucking life from me and left me to rot in this place!"

"Perhaps we can talk this out," Ryujin offered calmly, even though he doubted that they could do such a thing. It did not matter, anyway, as he had no experience in negotiating.

"There's nothing to talk about! I'm just going to snap her damn neck and eat her, how about that?" Gill screamed.

"Then it would be my honor to stop you," Ryujin said in a deadly serious tone before vanishing from sight.

Before Gill or Kim could process what was going on, Ryujin was between them. He hit Gill with an open palm strike to the chest that flashed blue and sent the fish-beast flying. Gill skidded across the water and as soon as he came to a halt, Ryujin planted his feet in the monster's chest. Just as Gill opened his mouth, planning to hit the blond with his sonic scream, Ryujin blew a white powder in his opponent's face. The sonic scream came out, knocking Ryujin back, but Gill also inhaled the powder.

The white-clad ninja hit the water, sinking because of the stun from the sonic cry. Spice kept him afloat and began moving him back toward the mangrove island with Kim. Groaning, Ryujin kept his eyes on Gill, wanting to make sure his ninja "trick" did what it was supposed to. Hearing Gill screaming and coughing let him know that it was doing just what it was designed to do.

"Time to finish him off," Ryujin muttered, forcing his arms and hands to move. Reaching into his pouch, he grabbed three small, peach-colored orbs and let them fly. They all hit Gill and before the monster could figure out what was going on, he found himself bound in a strong adhesive that he could not break.

"What the hell did you do to me, squeeb?" Gill screamed, trying his best to thrash around as he began to sink below the muddy water.

"I told you, it was my honor to stop you from harming the Legend. Now, go back to the depths, myth," Ryujin replied with a slight smirk as Gill vanished into the depths. Suddenly, the seriousness was sucked right out of him and he turned to look at Spice. "That was a pretty good line, wasn't it?" he asked with a chuckle. If the roach had pupils, yellow eyes would have been rolling.

Kim watched as the roach brought Ryujin back to the trees and then she watched where Gill had disappeared. Those moves… there were nothing "Ron" about them. Of course, there was nothing "Kim" about how she was manhandled either. Something was very wrong and she could not figure out what. The world seemed upside down. Her world was upside down.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim learns more about this new "upside down" world.


	4. 3: Bizarro world

I don't own these characters; Disney owns most of them. YogurthFrost owns Ryujin.

3: Bizarro world

Walking through the Sea of Despair was no easy matter, but Kim did understand how it got its name. There did not seem to be any safe place to step and stopping for a breath could easy be the death of her or her companion. She struggled to keep up with Ryujin, but pressed on, knowing that she could not rest. Hell, she did not want to rest. In her mind, not only she should have no problem keeping up with "Ron," but she should be leading him.

"What's wrong with me?" Kim asked muttered, rubbing her forehead. She did not mean that as far as her thinking was going, but she meant physically.

"Ron" was not very forthcoming beyond the fact that she had been frozen for "a long time." He did not even explain how long. She was starting to fear it was more than the few hours that she felt like it was. Of course, if it was just as few hours as she had first assumed, it would not explain her memory lose or extreme fatigue or muscle aches. Unfortunately, her brain was not able to offer up anything to help her out, which worried her more.

"How you doing back there?" the blond ninja asked, turning to check on Kim. She was falling behind.

"Fine," she answered for the umpteenth time. "You don't have to keep checking on me. I'm fine," she insisted through gritted teeth as she moved to catch up to ninja. She did her best to ignore the burn in all of her muscles.

Ryujin turned back around, deciding to leave her alone, even though he knew that he would have to stop in a little while to let her fully catch up. He had sworn that after a good night's rest she would be fine, but she was proving him wrong. After they had their encounter with Gill and they had pressed forward for a little while longer before Kim all but passed out. He thought that would be enough to charge her batteries and then she would wake up as the kick-ass Legend he had heard so much about.

Instead, he had woken up find her still sleeping. He needed to carry her for a while and for his trouble she had scolded and glared at him when she finally did wake up. He was starting to believe that she was nothing more than a brat. She was a myth, a fairy tale told to him to keep him entertained as a baby. There was nothing legendary about her. He was only more and more convinced of that as they continued on and he had to keep waiting for her. Any real legend would have passed him and berated for being so slow.

"I'm probably being too hard on her. I mean, everybody wouldn't lie to me, right? But, they could have exaggerated to keep me interested in the stories. There aren't too many visual sources for me to check to find out if they were accurate, though. Maybe I'm just cranky," he considered in a low voice. Sugar and Spice were suddenly on his shoulders, cooing at him and nodding as if they agreed with that last bit.

Ryujin decided to go with the fact that he was cranky as being the reason why he was being so hard on the Legend. Of course, his bitter mind pointed out that she was the reason he was cranky. He had to spend nights in a horrible, man-eating marshland and worry about not just his safety, but hers as well. He had to worry about having enough rations for the both of them, especially since he had not calculated on the mission taking so long. He had to listen to her complain, grumble, and snap at him because she was incapable. It was a miserable time.

"How much longer until we're out of the swamp?" Kim inquired, taking him from his thoughts.

"I'm not sure, but we need to keep moving to avoid having to spend another night here. I'm running low on food and I don't trust anything in here for us to eat," Ryujin replied. Quietly, he noted that she was panting already, signaling that she was going to need a rest soon. As much as he did not want to, he knew that they would have to stop soon.

After a few minutes, Ryujin found a place that looked safe enough for them to pause for a brief rest. Kim had to catch up to him. By the time she was close, he was already holding a canteen, silently offering her water. Hesitating, she took the canteen and inhaled the water.

"I didn't think it would take this long," Ryujin mumbled, staring at the sky. He felt like a failure, even though he knew it was not his fault.

"Oh, excuse me for taking up your time," Kim huffed, flinging the water container back at him before storming off. Apparently, two decades underground in crystal had not affected her hearing.

The blond did not say anything. Sighing, he placed the canteen back on his belt and caught up to Kim before something happened to her. Seriously, he was starting to feel like a babysitter. He had more important things to do than mind a giant baby. He just made it a point not to mumble that to himself.

"If you want to go ahead, you can. I'll catch up, you know," Kim stated in a somewhat harsh tone. She did not mean to be so upset and frustrated, but the lack of memory and lack of strength was grating on her nerves. _I should be fine by now! _Tears burned her eyes, but she kept them at bay.

"You can keep trying to get rid of me all you want, but I'm right here," he replied with a smile, thinking that it would lift her mood.

Kim did not respond to that, which she knew was rude. Instead of apologizing as she believed she should, she retreated back into her mind. Pressing forward and trying to keep up with Ryujin, she wondered why she still felt like she was covered in sludge and why her muscles felt like jelly; jelly that was lit on fire with napalm. Her memories refused to surface beyond the basics and some school work, no matter how hard she thought on things. She could recall mathematics, science, and geography with no problem, which was why much of what was going on made absolutely no sense to her. Nothing about the swamp seemed to fight with any science or geography that she knew.

"Was I mind-wiped or something? Brain-washed? What if all of this is somehow an illusion? Am I in someone's dream world?" Kim wondered, scratching her head.

Her life at the moment somewhat reminded her of Descartes "I think therefore I am" theory. Her existence was the only thing that she could be certain of. Everything else was up for debate until her mind righted itself. It was in that moment that she chuckled a bit, thinking it funny that she could remember Descartes at a time like this.

"Now, if only I could remember something else, like how I ended up in this mess and how Ron became a very competent ninja and where the hell this swamp came from," she muttered to the air, looking every bit of frustrated as she felt. Her forehead might end up with permanent crease marks before they made it out of the swamp.

As Kim grappled with her mind, Ryujin glanced back to check on her. He noticed that her attention was not on the dangerous marshland around them, but apparently caught up in something else making her face very tense. He was not sure what it was, but he thought it incredibly foolish of her to go through the Sea of Despair with her mind out on a walkabout. Unfortunately, he could not figure out how to broach the subject without being snapped at again, which he was not looking forward to.

Sighing, he decided, "I guess I have to watch her front and her back now." He turned his attention to his pets. "So, you guys make sure you got my front and my back," he remarked with a smile. The roaches cooed and cuddled into his cheek, which let him know that they would be as alert as possible.

Thankfully, they made it out of the Sea of Despair without having to spend another night in it. Coming out of the marsh, they ended up on a vast flat land. There was some barely green grass and thin, short trees dotted the area.

For Kim, the best thing about being out of the swamp was being able to see the sky. Green eyes immediately went up, searching the sky for some sign of where she was. The sun was setting and the stars were coming out. _I should be able to figure out where I am with the stars. Then maybe I can get to the bottom of what's going on_.

"Come on, we need to get through here and then we should be in the clear," Ryujin announced. "We shouldn't be out in the open like this," he added, brown eyes scanning the area for any sign of trouble.

"Why not?" Kim asked, looking around for any sign of danger. Everything seemed peaceful, especially compared to what she had seen in the Sea of Despair.

"We just shouldn't be," he replied in a somewhat grim tone. He did not want to tell her why. He was not sure how to tell her and he was certain that it would lead to an argument, anyway.

"And you're not going to explain further?"

Instead of answering that demand, Ryujin took off running. He made sure to go at a moderate pace so that Kim could keep up, but they needed to get out of the open as soon as possible. Nothing good would come of being so exposed for so long, even children knew that rule.

Kim could feel her lungs burning as she tried to push her body to keep up with Ryujin. Mentally, she knew that the pace that she had was nothing for her, but physically her body could not handle it. Not too long into the extended sprint, Kim collapsed, crashing violently to the ground.

Ryujin turned, hearing Kim take her spill in the deceitfully quiet meadow. Red hair shot out in all directions as her hands shot out to protect her body while her white battle-suit remained unsurprisingly clean. Once the tumble was over, Kim was not so quick to get up.

"Damn, we're too exposed out here for this," the blond grumbled to himself as he bolted back over to Kim and simply lifted her into his arms.

"Hey!" she protested loudly and glared at him with an intensity that made him gulp, but he did not put her down. "I can walk on my own, you know!" Although, something simple as walking might take a lot out of her now.

"Be quiet!" he growled at her, losing his cool for the first time in a long time.

"Then put me down!"

"Not until we're clear. Now, be quiet before you get us killed!" he snarled and then increased his speed.

Kim ended up clinging to the ninja and closing her eyes rather than scolding him for his behavior. She did not know someone could move as fast as he was going. It actually took her a moment to realize that they had stopped.

"You can let go now," Ryujin said in a voice that even he was unfamiliar with. Part of him understood that she did not know what was going on, so she did not know the danger that they were in, but most of him was just frustrated that she was so careless, stupid, and clumsy!

"Oh." Kim eased down out of his arms and planted her feet on the floor. She looked around now to see where they were. The sky was about to be blanketed in night, but she could not make out the stars. The sky was mostly blocked by a huge canopy of trees. "Where are we now?" she asked, impressed with the thick trees.

"At the edge of Eden," he replied gruffly, crouching down by a tree to inspect the area. It was unusual for enemies to make it into Eden or even try to enter its borders, but he was the cautious type. He had been told that he inherited that side from his mother.

"Eden? Where is that?" she asked. Again, her mental data base did not compute. She did not understand where they were or what was going on.

Sighing, he wondered how much he should reveal. He figured that breaking down the world in simple terms should be enough for her. She could hold all of the heavy questions for when they made it back to the Capital.

"I'll explain the basics to you, but you have to promise to hold all other questions for when we get to our destination," he bargained, smiling a bit with the hope that his dimples would sell her the idea.

"All other questions?" She arched an eyebrow to that.

"Trust me, you'll have plenty, but I don't think I'm the best to answer them. I don't want to mess that up. So, again, if I explain the basics, will you hold all of your other questions for later?"

"Considering it's either the basics or nothing, I think I'll take the basics," she answered, figuring she did not have much of a choice in the matter.

"Okay. We should be safe here for a while, so come here and I'll try to at least explain where we are," he said, waving her over to him.

Kim decided to see what it was that he was going to tell her. He began drawing something, but Kim was not sure what it was. First, he made a circle and then he starting drawing something inside of it. Her face scrunched up as he made a blob as far as she was concerned. Glancing up, he noticed her face.

"Please excuse my drawing skills. While my mother was very talented in calligraphy, I, unfortunately, did not inherit her abilities. I know you don't recognize it, but believe it or not, this is what the world looks like now," Ryujin said, pointing to his poor excuse of a circle.

Olive eyes went wide for a moment before rolling in disbelief. Kim looked down at the blob again, not seeing anything in that said "the world." It appeared to be one landmass, like a super continent, with a tilt that had a large part of the western half of the land tilting to the south and the eastern half was toward the north. The mass thinned toward the middle. It reminded her of a barbell slightly, except one end was larger than the other.

"Trust me, this is what the world looks like now. There are some islands, too. The biggest are here." Ryujin then drew an oval above the western half and then a larger blob-like shape beneath the western half. Then lastly he drew another blob underneath the eastern half with three smaller ovals next to it. "Got it?" he asked.

"None of this looks familiar," Kim admitted while squinting her eyes and shaking her head. "With no disrespect to your drawing skills," she added with a polite half-smile. He probably could have been Leonardo de Vinci and she still would not have recognized the areas.

"I don't expect any of this to look familiar to you," he told her gently. Of course none of it would look familiar to her. "The world has changed a lot over the years. I could still be changing for all I know."

"When did this happen?"

"These are questions you have to save for others. Just let me tell you the basics, okay?"

Kim sighed, but nodded her consent. She hoped that there were plenty of answers from whomever they were going to meet wherever they were going. Everything was so confusing. It might be due to her lack of memory, she silently considered, or it could be due to the fact that the world was upside down. _Did I step through the looking glass and not notice?_

"Okay, so we just left the Sea of Despair, which I told you was like the borderlands. The sea is located here." Ryujin drew a line with his finger, which divided the east and west at a narrow point in the land. He then made a circle in the middle of the narrow area to show the swamp that they had escaped. "Now, around the Sea of Despair and dividing the continent are the Mountains."

"Are they just called the Mountains?" she asked curiously.

"Most of the time, yeah. There are other mountains on the planet, of course, but these are the most massive. So, when someone says 'the mountains,' you know they mean these. Formally, they're called the Division Mountains. You can probably guess why."

"They divide the east and the west," she pointed out the obvious.

"Yup! Now, we're in the West. Names aren't too important right now, but the west itself is like a country and the east is a country."

"So, there are two countries on this one continent on Earth?" the redhead inquired, scratching her head.

"Yup, just two countries on the one continent. I guess for you it would make more sense to think of it more along the lines of feudalism, which it is, actually. There are only two countries, but those countries are divided into different states. But, I'm not going to go into that. Okay, when we left the Sea of Despair, we entered the Great Meadow. It's just a huge meadow. Not as big as the Sea of Despair, but it is pretty big." Ryujin then made a border to show the meadow. "Once we got out of there, we're currently in Eden. It's a forest and jungle area. There are some villages and towns around here, but we're not going to end up at any of them."

"Why is it called Eden?" Kim asked curiously.

"Well … this is actually where life in the west started. Now, it basically holds the most diverse life that can be found on the planet. The hope is that one day we'll get the rest of the world to have so much life and look as beautiful as Eden does in several places," he explained as best he could. He doubted that it would make much sense to her. It was just something one had to see, live, and get used to.

"I don't understand any of this …" she grumbled, frowning.

"I kinda figured that would be the case, which was why I didn't really want to explain it. I feel like I'm just making you more confused," he admitted, rubbing his head as his eyes fell guiltily on the ground.

"Why don't I know any of this stuff?" She gestured to the crude map.

Ryujin wagged his finger at her. "You said you would save the questions for the others if I told you the basics. These are the basics."

"Well, what are the other states in the west and what about the east? Are those basics?" she asked curiously.

"Well, there's the land beyond Eden, which is where we're going. It's pretty much the capital region of the country and we'll be heading to the capital city. Beyond that are much more mountains before you get to the ocean. The mountains sort of go around the whole west coast. The islands are pretty nice and have a decent population living on them. The southern one is bigger obviously. So, the whole country is ruled by one person, but each region has a governor, who then appoint a regent because the governors tends to spend most of their time in the capital with the ruler. Good?"

Kim scratched her head. "I think you're right about confusing me."

"I know, but you did ask."

"So, what's going in the east? It's the same step up?"

"Kinda, sorta, but I guess you can consider the east a totally different culture from us. I think that one is better left to someone else to explain. I promise you, once we get the capital, there'll be tons of people to tell you what happened and help you understand. I am good at many things, but I am not equipped to handle this task."

The redhead nodded slowly, itching to ask a million more questions, but figuring that her traveling companion was not going to answer them. Besides, she had promised to save her questions for wherever they were going.

"So, after we make it through here, we'll be at the capital?" she asked.

"Well, we have to go through much of the capital region before we reach the city. The city is located very close to the mountains. It shouldn't take too long, though," he tried to assure her.

"You mean if I don't hold us up any longer," she huffed, frowning deeper than before.

Ryujin blinked, surprised that she realized that she was slowing them down. She was not being snappy like before, but completely serious. He wondered if maybe she was better than what he was seeing. He considered maybe she did live up to the Legend, but something was holding her back. Seeing the frustration in her face, he suspected that she believed that she should be much more capable of than what she was showing.

"Look, you've been out of commission for a lot longer than you think, so you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," he told her. As he said the words, he figured that he needed to listen to himself. She had been locked in crystal for longer than he had been alive and trapped underground. There was no telling if she was conscious for any of it and possibly shut down to save whatever sanity she had left from such an ordeal. It was a miracle that she was even alive, he reminded himself.

"How much longer is a lot longer?" she asked quietly.

"Let's try this, however long you think you were out, times that by a hundred and you're probably still way off."

Olive eyes squinted and her forehead scrunched up again. "What do you mean?"

"Those are questions for the other people. Come on, if we walk a little further, there's a stream and we can get fresh, cold water. Maybe even some fish," he said, standing up to his full height.

For a long moment, Kim's eyes lingered on the rough map of the world. Her head was starting to hurt as she wondered just how long she had been trapped. _What did I miss? What's going on?_ A gentle hand on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts.

"You shouldn't dwell on it or it'll just drive you insane. Something that even being trapped and alone didn't accomplish. You made it for a reason," Ryujin insisted. "You made it through all of that for a reason."

Sighing, Kim nodded. "You're right. You're very right."

The duo then continued on their journey, coming to a stream as Ryujin promised. They were able to eat after catching a couple of very large fish. Ryujin took care of a fire with a simple trick from his side-pouch; Kim never would have guessed that ninjas carried matches. After that, Ryujin excused himself.

"Too much water," the blond explained with a blush as he disappeared into the trees.

Kim did not think anything of it and kept an eye on their roasting fish. She found it a little humorous that her companion skewered the fish without scaling them and stuck them over the fire, something like a Japanese person would do. Watching the food, her attention did not lapse and it barely took her a second to realize that she was not alone.

"What now?" she wondered with a sigh, turning around to try and find what was stalking her.

To answer her question, a group of large cats leaped out at her. She was not sure what type of cats they were. They had golden coats with solid brown spots, but they seemed too big to be leopards. Of course, the fact that there were a group of them helped discredit the idea that they were leopards since the only cats that hunted in a group were lions. The way their muscles bulged, she would have assumed that they were lions, but they were too small for that.

"This just gets better and better," Kim grumbled as the group of six cats charged her.

The redhead was slower to react than she thought, but managed to avoid getting clawed by some massive paws. Another managed to jump on her back and she knew that if she was totally fine, she would have been able to flip the beast off of her, even though it outweighed her by a considerable amount. But, instead, she ended up collapsing under the weight, being on the ground, which was the last place she wanted to be with a group of hungry cats. The cats saw their opportunity and converged on the floored hero.

"Hey, let her up!" Ryujin commanded as he returned, rushing into the mass of teeth and claws. "Let her up!" he repeated.

The most curious thing then happened—the cats backed away from Kim. The redhead sat up, looking dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Ryujin sighed in relief before turning his attention to the cats.

"You guys can't just come and attack any person you don't recognize," he scolded them. "Oh, no, wait, yes, you can. But, you can't attack her. She's not an enemy. As hard as this might be to believe, she's the Legend," he informed them. He was back to having a hard time believing that she was the Legend. He did not care how disoriented and fatigued she was, he felt like the Legend should have been to handle six cats. "Now, if you want food, go hunt your own," he ordered and the cats quickly scurried away.

With the local wildlife gone, Ryujin turned his attention to Kim. Thankfully, her battle-suit had taken the brunt of the attack, so nothing penetrated her skin. Once again, he gave thanks that his uncle Wade had the foresight to send the suit with him.

"How are you feeling?" Ryujin asked Kim.

"Fine," she replied, running her hands through her hair with the hope of straightening her dark mane out. "I should've been able to take care of that situation without any help. How did you get them to stop anyway? And what were those while we're on the subject?"

"They're meadow cats, but most of the time, they hang out on the edge of Eden in the forests because there's bigger game here. I know most of the animals in Eden and if they know you, they listen to you. They're also programmed to attack strangers."

"Programmed?"

"It's a long story, but the short version is that almost all life, except for human life anyway, in Eden and the world for that matter was genetically designed. Most of the animal and plant life died a long time ago. Most of the people too," he replied, voice solemn and low.

"What happened?"

"That's a question for the others. Come on, let's eat while we can before something else comes to bother us," he stated.

Kim did not argue, but now her head was starting to hurt. The Earth was not the world that she knew anymore. Life had almost been wiped out and was now being mass-produced somewhere. She had been trapped in crystal for who-knew-how-long. Her mind felt like spinning, but she would get to the bottom of this. She would get her answers.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim gets to see some of the towns and learns more about the world.


	5. 4: The Scenic Route

I don't own these characters; Disney does. Ryujin is the property of YogurthFrost.

4: The Scenic Route

Kim sat up, back against a tree, staring into the darkness of the forest. It was much different from the Sea of Despair. There was nothing sinister about the place and while everything was alive, she did not have the sense of being prey for the tree she was leaning against. But, there was still something _off_ about the forest. She was not sure what it was, but it caused her to look around every few seconds.

She did not understand any of what was going on and the more that she tried to make sense of it, the more it troubled her that she could not. The world was upside down and she could not figure out the cause. For a moment, she wondered if Drakken had trapped her and then succeeded in taking over the world.

"But, if he had done that, I think things would look a lot more like the Sea of Despair. I mean, Drakken can't possibly be a good ruler. But, then again, who's to say it doesn't all look like that crazy swamp. I've only seen a little bit of it. What I haven't seen, I only have his word to go by," she mumbled to herself, looking over at Ryujin, who was just as awake as she was. He was several feet away from her.

"You are troubled," he noted, sounding suspiciously like someone else that she knew.

"You're not Ron, are you?" she asked. Of course, she had figured that out a while ago.

"I am not."

"Are you a clone?" she asked suspiciously, even though she doubted that he would admit to such a thing.

Ryujin smiled a bit and chuckled. "I guess in a way I am a clone."

"What does that mean? Are you a drone?"

He shook his head. "I'm human. You don't have to worry about that. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing you're going to answer."

Ryujin nodded. "Sorry about that," he apologized, even though he did not like her attitude toward him. It was not his fault that everything happened to her and the world passed her by. He was trying to help!

She did not say anything regarding his apology, retreating into herself once again. Well, he was not Ron, she silently repeated to herself. Since he was not Ron that made trusting him a little more difficult, but she was going to stick close to him for the moment. He understood what was going on better than she did and he had at least proven that he wanted to keep her alive.

_But, why?_ Kim was not sure why he wanted her at all and she was almost certain that he would not tell her. Why was he being so secretive? Was it for her protection or did he have some sinister motive? _I hate this not-knowing crap!_

"Why are we going to the capital city?" Kim inquired after a long moment of silence.

"People are waiting for you there," he answered.

"Who?"

"You'll see when you get there. They are friends," he promised her.

"Friends?" she echoed, wondering if he was to be believed.

Ryujin nodded. "They're friends. They've been waiting for you."

Nodding, she sighed and looked at the sky to distract herself. _What type of friends do I have in this place? Will they explain any of this to me? He doesn't seem like he's lying. His eyes are very honest and he doesn't hesitate at all when he answers questions. He doesn't look away when he answers either_.

All Kim was doing was making herself feel even crazier as more and more thoughts popped into her mind. Catching a glimpse of the stars through the thick canopy of trees, her stomach flipped as she realized that she did not recognize that patch of sky._ Somehow, along with the animals, people, and planet, the sky changed while I was trapped?_ The very idea made Kim's guts knot up.

Tucking her arms around her belly, as if to guard it, she took some calming breaths. Instead of composing herself, though, she felt a burning sensation rising in her throat. She hoped that she was not about to throw up. She had enough of that when she felt woke up from the crystal. No vomit came, but the discomfort remained and intensified. Eventually, Kim fell into a fitful rest to escape the torment.

Ryujin watched the sleeping form of the Legend. He was not sure what to make of her anymore. Clearly, she was nothing like the stories that he had heard. He found it difficult to believe that she could do much of anything, so he definitely could not longer believe that she was the girl "who could do anything." Sighing, he shook his head and pulled out a small, hand-held communication device from his pouch.

"Checking in, Uncle Wade," Ryujin said as the muscular techie appeared on the screen.

"How's it going?" Wade inquired.

"Long," the blond sighed again and shook his head. "Longer than I imagined. I mean, I made this trip alone in two days. It took me twice that long to get through the Sea of Despair with her."

"It seems there were unexpected complications and from what I can gather from your other reports, Kim still isn't close to a hundred percent. It actually sounds like for her, she's operating on less than a quarter of what she should be. I knew there would be problems, but I didn't count on this."

"Well, you knew she wouldn't be the same right upon waking up," the teen pointed out. He silently repeated that to himself, so that he could stop feeling so disappointed. Unfortunately, it did not help as much as he desired.

"Well, yes, that one was logical. No one trapped in suspended animation for as long as she would have been the same as soon as they woke up. It's just that Kim is exceptional and I was hoping that would come back within a couple of days. A poor hope on my part and not very scientific, making it much worse. I haven't been able to pinpoint the side-effects to Drakken's crystal in all this time."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Uncle Wade. We're all doing our best."

"I know, but this was sub par for me. I should have anticipated these problems. I think I can do a better job by the time you get her here."

"Well, we'll be there in a few days. Is there any way for me to help her along? She's getting really frustrated with how slow she is," Ryujin reported with a worried expression stretching his face.

"I wouldn't know where to begin telling you about that. You could scan her with your kimmunicator, which could help. Of course, a physical by a true doctor would be best," Wade replied.

"Well for now, I'll just scan her. I would like to help get her out of her bad mood. She seems miserable and she's trying to make me miserable."

"Wow, that doesn't sound like her and you almost sound like she's succeeding, which doesn't seem like you. I mean, it takes a lot to knock that smile off of your face," the older male pointed out.

Ryujin scratched his cheek and blushed a bit. "I suppose … Okay, I'm going to scan her now."

"I'm waiting to receive the data," Wade replied.

Ryujin aimed his communication device at Kim and did a quick scan of her. He waited for confirmation from his uncle. Wade turned away, glancing at his second computer screen. When he nodded, Ryujin knew that the data had arrived.

"Okay, I got it. I'm going to have to study it for a while before I can come up with something definitive. Maybe get the doc in here or something. From what I can tell, just glancing at it, I'm seeing chronic fatigue, which I expect. Her muscles are about what I expected. Some dehydration seems to be coming up. Actually, a lot her muscle and bone structure look very frail. Her organs seem weak, too, but not enough to worry."

"Wasn't she supposed to be like trapped in time or something? Whenever someone gets trapped like that all of the books make it seem like all the body functions stop and you wake up thinking it's two minutes after you got hit," Ryujin pointed out in a way that reminded Wade of a teenage Ron. The thought put an amused smile on Wade's face.

"This is why we don't get our hypotheses from surviving sci-fi, Ryu."

"Hey, sci-fi is good stuff," the boy defended himself with a gleeful smile.

Wade chuckled. "Believe me, I know. I was very much into sci-fi during my childhood. I wish more of it survived. Now, I wanted to talk to you about something else if you have the time for it."

Brown eyes checked on Kim and saw that she seemed to be out for the night. "I should. She's exhausted."

"Not surprising if what I see in the readings are accurate. I think the sooner you get here with her, the better."

The blond head nodded. "I'm bringing her straight in. I might have to stop in a town for some supplies, but other than that, we'll be in straight away."

"Good to know. Now, I wanted to talk to you about the scan data that you sent in about the Sea of Despair. I reviewed everything and you know your popularity is going to go through the roof when people find out that you defeated _THE_ swamp monster, right?"

"You mean that piranha-frog-guy-thing? I couldn't even believe he was real. I thought it was a horror story told to little kids," Ryujin admitted with a laugh.

"Funny, you believe in The Legend, but not the monster in the Sea of Despair. I'll never understand how your mind works. You really remind me of Ron. He believed in bigfoot, but not mystical monkey magic for a while."

"Uh … Bigfoot isn't real, is he?" Ryujin had never considered that Bigfoot might be real.

"Not unless the missus is cooking one up right now. But, you're going to find yourself getting high praise for defeating Gill. I don't think you realize how powerful he really was. You actually helped make the Sea of Despair just a little bit safer."

Ryujin scratched his head. "Is that really a good thing at this point? The Marsh was one of our few natural defenses."

"We still have plenty and the Sea of Despair never really stopped anything. The Great Desert is more of a defense than the swamp ever was. Gill was more of a problem for us, though, because if someone actually made it over through the Desert and over the Mountains, Gill usually killed the person before they could make it here. Now, we don't have to worry about him and there's a better chance of refugees making it to us."

Ryujin nodded. "That does make sense. I guess anything to make it easier for people to have safe and free lives."

"That's the way to look at it. Any victory, no matter how small it may seem, does help to that end. You should get some rest, kid. You've done good. Very good."

"Thanks, Uncle Wade. How are things with Shadow Hand?"

"He's a bit upset that this is taking you longer than expected and he's still barking at me for chasing ghosts and digging up the past and everything else that he can be upset about."

Brown eyes glanced over at Kim for a moment. "Does he really feel that way?" he inquired, a little incredulous and a lot of hurt.

"Calm down, kid. You know him, what he says and how he feels don't often match up. But, then again, most of the time, he acts like everything is just a job for him anyway and this is taking away from the job. I think he's actually scared about this and that's why he's barking about it so loudly."

"Scared?" Ryujin echoed as if he did not know what the word was. Chuckling in a low tone, he shook his head. "The Shadow Hand doesn't get scared. Shadow ninjas don't get scared."

"There are different types of fear, Ryu. They're not always bad things and they don't mean you're a coward. Hell, I'm scared myself."

"Why?" the teen inquired. He did not understand what there was to be scared of. Certainly not the so-called Legend, who was so weak now, he was sure a heavy wind could defeat her.

"I don't think it's something you would understand. Get some rest. If you can make it to Cuddleton, your aunt will be there with some horses waiting for you, so you can speed up this trip."

The blond nodded. "Can she even ride a horse?"

"Haven't you heard, Ryu? She can do anything," Wade remarked with a bright smile before disconnecting the call.

The ninja sighed, not too sure what to think of that phrase anymore. Once upon a time, he thought those words could save the world. He thought the redhead a few feet from him would save the world. Now, he was beginning to see that was a childhood fantasy. Kim Possible was not the demi-god he thought she was and she was not The Legend.

Kim Possible was a human being. She was a human being that was trapped in a substance that kept her alive in suspended animation for a very long time while she was swallowed whole by an unforgiving Earth, missing out on things done by even more unforgiving people. She was but one human and he already knew that one human could not save the world, especially not one as frail as she seemed to be.

"It makes sense that she would be this way. How many people would have even survived what she went through? I can't hold it against her that her body is weak, but I had so much faith and hope in her. I thought she would be the one to make everything all right," Ryujin grumbled to himself.

Now, he felt childish and small for having such faith. He was so naive and he conceded to himself that some of his frustrations with her were really frustrations with his own beliefs. She had not hyped herself up as a demi-god. He had done that. Now, he needed to get over it.

"I'll get her to the City, but after that, everyone else is going to have to figure out what to do with her and I'll go back to the struggle. Hopefully, she will eventually be useful to us," Ryujin muttered as he settled in against a tree trunk. He fell into a light sleep.

-8-8-8-8-

Strolling through the thick forest, Kim was amazed at the array of animals she saw. It was clear that they were all genetically engineered, but she was not sure to what degree. On the surface, they looked like mutants, amalgamations of animals that Kim knew. It reminded her of DNAmy's work. There were all sorts of flying mammals and reptiles, birds with tongues that belonged to frogs or toads, small animals that looked like insects, and everything in between.

"Why are the animals all mixed up? What happened to the regular animals?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Most of them were wiped out. There are still some species that you'll recognize, but for the most part, new animals had to be made," Ryujin answered, not knowing that she was talking to herself.

"Yeah, you were saying something like that before. What about the plants? Are they genetically engineered too?"

"Yup. It was either that or let the world be a desert. No one wants to live in a complete desert, though," he replied.

Kim nodded, even though she did not understand. She wondered what happened and how she had missed it, but did not bother to ask her companion. Instead, she turned her attention elsewhere.

"How long do you think it'll take up to get to the capital city?" the redhead inquired.

"Not long. My uncle told me that if we make it to a town not too far from here sometime today, my aunt will be there with horses for us. So, once we get the horses, we should be able to make it to the capital a lot faster than by foot. I would estimate a few days. The horses are very fast."

Kim nodded, having to take him at his word on that. Once more, they traveled in silence with the newly resurrected hero taking in the sights. The jungle was breathtaking, even if it was man-made. The leaves were all sorts of vibrant shades of green and the flowers seemed to hold every color in the rainbow and whatever was left in between. Even the animals, as strange as they were, fascinated her.

"We should be in Cuddleton in a couple of hours. Do you want to stop for a rest or water or just keep going?" Ryujin inquired.

"Keep going," Kim answered, even though she was already sweating puddles and her lungs were burning as if they had been lit on fire then rubbed with salt.

Ryujin could hear her labored breaths, but decided to push on. He wanted to see if she would make it, despite being obviously fatigued. He wanted to see if she really could do anything.

The redhead forced her body to go on, refusing to quit. They had only been strolling for a few hours and she refused to let simple walking pain her so. Pressing on, she buried any agony that she felt in a little box in the back of her mind to be dealt with at a more appropriate time.

Ryujin was surprised that they made to Cuddleton in his estimated time. Kim had pushed through whatever she was feeling and kept pace with him. Sure, his pace had been extremely slow by his standards, but she had made it. He would give her credit for that; anything to keep her from falling any lower in his opinion since she was not the goddess he had believed she was for most of his life.

"Just when I thought the place was all jungle," Kim muttered to herself as they emerged from the forest onto a dirt road. Down the path, she could make out a small town. Squinting, she noticed something peculiar about the town. "It looks like something from the renaissance period," she commented.

"Most buildings that you would recognize were destroyed a long time ago. Since there were not that many people, smaller dwellings were made. In most towns, nothing is over three stories tall. Cuddleton is sort of a major trade city because of how close it is to one of the larger jungles in Eden, so they have the five-story buildings to house more things," Ryujin explained.

"Five-story buildings are considered good for a major trade town?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Even when we get to the Capitol, you'll see that most buildings are five stories high. Most people use small horses to get around. There are a few with motorized carts, but it's not a wide spread thing," he informed her.

"What happened? It's like being back in the Middle Ages or trapped in some crazy fantasy movie," Kim commented, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

"You'll find out what happened. I promise."

Knowing that he would say something like that, Kim nodded and they continued on. Entering the town of Cuddleton, Kim felt like she had been blasted into the past with the design of the buildings, the cobble stone streets, and the goings-on inside the town. The one thing that was out of place was the clothing. No one wore garments of the middle ages or the renaissance period, but then again, they were not modern clothes either.

It seemed like everyone was wearing a form-fitting top; it reminded her of the clothing that athletes wore under their uniforms. Some people had on long-sleeve versions, other short-sleeve, and some had tank-tops. Some people wore loose-fitting, open shirts over it or closed shirts over it, but they were all wearing the form-fitting top. They seemed to have similar cloth on their legs, but baggy pants or shorts were worn over it. For shoes, most had on boots or odd-looking shower shoes from what Kim could tell. She honestly did not know what to make of the fashion.

"Is there anything here that I would recognize?" she wondered aloud.

"There are some things that I'm sure you would know. Radio still exists and pieces of the Internet, although it's used differently now. We don't really use wire for much anymore as far as communications go, so everything is done by satellite, so we still have lots of the wireless stuff you remember. Most people don't bother with watching stuff, though, and use the wireless things for music and talking to each other."

She nodded to show that she was following. "Anything else?"

"Well, the motorized carts, you'd kind of recognize. They're not exactly cars, but it's the general idea of them. You'll see that it's not all alien to you."

Shrugging, she decided to take him at his word. Looking around town, she tried to spot anything that seemed contemporary to her. There was a market place instead of a supermarket or a mall. There were horses of all sizes walking down the streets, but no cars. She noted that there were no children playing or even around.

"Where are all the kids?" she asked curiously.

"School probably. It is a school day as far as I know," he answered.

_Okay, that made sense_, she thought. Nothing else made sense, but at least schools still existed and children still went to them. Continuing on their way, Kim noted how few people there seemed to be in general, though. She would be surprised if the town had a population of over a thousand.

"How many people live here?" she asked.

"In the town and the surrounding small farms, I would assume it's about fifty-five hundred people. There'll probably be another census soon to check and see if the population has grown any."

"Is that normal for the towns around here?"

"Yeah, it's about normal. There aren't too many towns like this. Most people live in villages, which always have under a thousand people living there."

Kim felt like her head was spinning. "How did all of this happen? Last I checked, the world seemed to be extremely overpopulated and how you're making it sound like there's probably a million people on Earth."

Ryujin shrugged and scratched his nose a bit. "You'll understand once we get to the capital. Come on, let's go get these horses."

She nodded and did not press him, following him through the town. A man stepping over to Ryujin and blocking their path halted them. The man appeared official in a manner, wearing a familiar looking green and black uniform. He was tall and broad with tan skin and messy black hair.

"Well, if it isn't the guy who cleared the way for refuges to get through the Sea of Despair," the man said, rapping Ryujin on the back rather hard.

The teen chuckled uneasily. "Uh … who told you that?"

"News travels, kid! News travels!"

Ryujin tried to force out a smile; he knew way too well how news traveled. He had to be the most well known ninja of all time with the way that news traveled. It was embarrassing for him. After all, what sort of ninja was well known and recognizable? His aunt teased him about all of the time, not that she had any right to tease considering she was just as unorthodox as he was.

"I don't understand how …" the blond ninja muttered.

"That's the thing with good news. It gets around!" the man said with a smile.

"It's not that big a deal, though …"

"Of course it is! You do big things, Ryujin. Big things and we're thankful for it. Sometimes, refugees would make it here and tell how most of their party was killed by that beast in the Swamp. You're quite the thing, kid. We've been in there before, hunting for that thing. We lost Guards to it before we were ordered to stay the hell outta there."

"I didn't know it killed Guards," Ryujin murmured, shaking his head.

"Yeah, it was years ago, though. It took a royal edict to get us from going in there. No one's looking to piss _her_ off, after all," the man remarked with a chuckle.

"Wise decision."

"Yeah, but we never understood why she didn't send someone in there to handle that thing. I guess it doesn't matter now since you've taken care of it."

"I guess not. Now, I hate to be rude, but I have to be some place."

"Oh, well, I would hate to keep the hero who slew the Monster of the Marsh," the man declared with a grin, stepping out of their paths. Ryujin and Kim continued on.

"Did you know that man?" Kim asked curiously.

"No, but he knew me, I suppose. He was a Guard. They're soldiers, stationed in towns and villages to keep the place safe. We don't have that many to spare, but the ones we have are sorely needed," he answered, hoping that little bit of information would keep her from asking any more questions.

Kim seemed to sense his motive in providing so much information and did not make any further inquiries. While walking, Ryujin was stopped a few times and praised for his actions. Apparently, good news did travel fast.

"I didn't think we'd ever make it here," Ryujin sighed as they arrived at the stables. They walked into a building and over to a counter.

"May I help you?" a young woman behind the counter inquired.

"Yes. My aunt Amy left two horses here for me and my companion."

The young woman picked up a clipboard and checked a couple of papers. "All right. Ryujin?"

"Yes."

"I just need your ID papers and for you to sign for it and I'll have your horses out here in a minute. She also asked me to tell you that she wished she could stay, but she had other matters to attend to."

Ryujin nodded. "Of course she did."

Things went just as quickly as the young woman promised. They were given two horses; they were smaller than what Kim expected, but she did not say anything. The duo climbed on the beasts and was off, leaving the town quickly and riding through the countryside.

"Are these horses regular horses or also genetically engineered?" Kim asked, even though she could guess. The floppy ears and puffy tail let her know that if anything they were bunny-horses.

"Genetically engineered. They were made to have great endurance, like wolves, and be able to handle tough terrain like mountain goats," he replied.

"That explains the horns coming out of the sides of their heads. What's with the ears and tails, though?"

"Uh … the lead scientist seems to think that most things look better with bunny ears and fluffy tails," he answered, smiling a little at the absurdity of it all.

It was so absurd that Kim had to laugh too. "I didn't notice it on any of the other animals in the jungle."

"She doesn't always win arguments on how things should look, but on these particular horses, she won. I'm sure on the trip you'll notice a few more unnecessarily cute animals. How did horses look when you last saw them?" he asked curiously. He had not had he privilege to see what most animals looked like. Many species had been killed off by the time he was born.

"This is pretty close, but the ears were shorter without horns and their tails were long and bushy. It was like human hair grown long."

"Hence the hair style 'pony tail'?" he asked.

"Yup."

He grinned. "I wish I could've seen them in person," he said with a dreamy sigh.

That gave them a topic of conversation for the rest of the trip. He asked about how animals looked when Kim last saw them and Kim asked about how they looked now. Through the trip, they traveled through more jungles and forest, coming only to clearings when villages and towns were upon them. And then, after they passed through one village, the landscape changed and the forest was not as thick anymore.

"We're in the land of Kane now," Ryujin informed her.

"Kane?" Kim echoed.

"This is the main province in our whole country. We're going to the capital city, which isn't too far. We should be there by tomorrow."

"What's the capital city called?"

"Isabella."

"Does the whole country have a name?" she asked curiously.

"Sure. It's called Kimber."

"Kimber?" she echoed. For some reason, she was touched, even though she did not know why. She shook the feeling off.

He nodded, not sure what to say beyond that. They ended up going back to their previous conversation while trotting through the area. Kim especially questioned the birds that were flying over their heads, like geese that had weasel bodies and hummingbirds that looked like frogs. There were other interesting mixtures; some that Kim could not even place.

-8-8-8-8-

"There it is. The capital city, Isabella," Ryujin announced, pointing ahead of them. "It's the biggest city in the whole country."

Olive eyes turned directly in front of them, expecting to see another quaint town like the few they had passed through already. Instead, she was greeted by the mobilized carts that Ryujin had gone on about, which looked something like go-carts. There were ships lined up at the wide river that connected to the city and lines of canals, like in Amsterdam or Venice. There was a hustle to the city that was absent everywhere else they had gone.

Still, there were the expected things like the five-story buildings, cobblestone streets, market places, and other items that Kim believed belonged in the 18th and 19th centuries. The fashion of the city matched most of what she had seen in the other towns and villages. Until now, Kim had actually wondered if she had gone back in time. Of course, being in Isabella had not helped much because now she considered that she might just be in a parallel universe.

"And that's where I have to take you to get all of your questions answered," Ryujin informed the redhead, pointing to a hill where a striking, yet only onyx mansion stood.

"What's in there?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Like I said, that's where your answers are," he replied with a smile. Kim could not help wondering what that meant.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: meet more of the cast.


	6. 5: Not in Kansas anymore

I don't own these characters; Disney does. Ryujin is the property of YogurthFrost. Other characters, I'll explain at the end to avoid ruining the surprise.

5: Not in Kansas anymore

Kim was actually awed by the black mansion as she and Ryujin rode up to the gates. It looked like a palace, but also like it was mixed with a fortified castle. It was huge, just looking at the front, so she could only wonder what the inside was like. There was an amalgamation of architecture that Kim recognized, like the domes and columns. It was beyond anything that she had seen, though, and was not sure how to classify the place in her mind. Ryujin greeted a guard, who just waved them through. He grinned at Ryujin.

"Good job in the Sea of Despair," the guard said with a nod as the duo rode through.

Ryujin only smiled; he was not sure what else to do. He still could not believe how many people knew about what happened so quickly. It was not like his uncle to gossip, so he did not understand why so many people knew about what happened at the Sea of Despair. He turned his attention to Kim as they rode on. He noticed how she was staring at the palace. He chuckled a bit.

"Believe it or not, we're only seeing a small piece of it. Inside the palace is the real city of Isabella. It's massive," Ryujin informed her, if only see to her look even more impressed, which worked.

"So, how many people live here?" Kim asked curiously.

"In the whole city? I think the population is almost close to a million. I think this is the only city on the planet with a million people in it," he informed her.

"So, what happened to the major cities? Where's New York? London? Paris? Tokyo?" Kim inquired in a baffled tone.

"Questions for inside please," he replied.

Kim shrugged and decided to let him lead the way. Surely there had to be answers somewhere in her immediate future since they were now in the capital city and she just needed to meet whoever it was Ryujin wanted her to meet. Ryujin smiled since it seemed like she just accepted that.

Olive eyes took in the lush, enormous gardens on either side of the pathway. The horses' hooves sounded lightly as they trotted up the smooth drive. Off to the side, she noticed what looked like golf carts with no roofs, driving around. There were some people on horseback, too, moving. Everywhere on the grounds, there seemed to be people milling about, performing some task or on their way to do something.

"Are those all workers for this place?" Kim asked, nodding in the direction of some of the people rushing around.

"Probably not. They could be scientists, soldiers, clerics, or any number of other people. The Obsidian Manor is home to hundreds of different people at any given moment and has just many people working on the grounds and then there are also people that conduct business here, so there's a lot going on," Ryujin explained.

"Sounds that way."

He nodded for lack of a better thing to do. As they got the front stairs, a teenage boy seemed to come out of nowhere to take their horses. He went to help Kim off of the steed, but she waved him off, easing off the horse on her own with little problem. Her knees quivered as she stood on the ground, but she hid as well as anyone could. Her whole body still felt somewhat weak, stiff, and even a little sore. She wanted to blame the journey, but she knew that should not be a big deal for her.

"Welcome back, Ryujin. I can't believe what you've done since you left. My older brother was part of the team that was sent to retrieve the Monster of the Marsh after you took it down and he said it was massive! You're great!" the teenage male declared with an amazed grin and awe in his eyes while making sure he had a good grip on the leads for the horses.

"I was just doing my part, like any other warrior," Ryujin said modestly with a weak wave to dismiss the idea.

"A great warrior! After all, no one had been able to stop the Monster before and you did it single-handedly!"

There was a flash in Kim's eyes that Ryujin noted. "I didn't do it on my own and really it was nothing anyway. All I did was trap him."

"Which was more than most others could or have done! You're amazing!"

Ryujin waved it off again and scratched his cheek a little with his index finger. "It wasn't a big deal. Trust me. Now, I need to get in and see the Elect. Have things been busy around here for them by any chance?"

"No, nothing serious. It's more business as usual. There haven't been any war council meetings or anything like that."

The blond nodded. "Okay, good to know. Thank you, Jeff."

The other boy grinned, seemingly ecstatic that Ryujin knew his name. He then led the horses off while Ryujin turned his attention to Kim. The redhead watched as the horses were taken, wondering what exactly was going on.

"If you're ready …" Ryujin then motioned to the Manor with his hand.

Olive eyes went from the disappearing horses to the tanned hand of the ninja before her and then to the stairs leading to the front doors. She nodded and Ryujin walked ahead of her. She quietly followed, unable to help her mind wandering to what could be inside such a massive, impressive, yet somehow foreboding house.

There were people at the door that bowed as Ryujin and Kim stepped up. She had a feeling that they were bowing to him, but when whispers happened as they passed, she was certain those were for her. That flew right out of her mind, though, as they stepped inside the brightly lit, elegantly decorated, spacious residence.

"My god …" Kim muttered in disbelief.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ryujin inquired with some pride.

"Beyond that," she admitted.

"Yeah, it has a lot of the historical pieces to make it look this nice. Almost all of the paintings around here are classical pieces. There aren't too many modern artists anymore," he informed her with a hint of sadness.

"Is that something I should save for when I meet everyone you want me to meet?"

"I think that would be best. Now, do you want to meet everyone first or perhaps freshen up or even see a doctor to maybe get some understanding of your chronic fatigue?" he asked. He was tempted to take her to the doctor first. The doctor was one of the people she would meet, anyway. The doctor was also one of the people that filled his head with all sorts of fantastic tales about the Legend, so he would like for the doctor to fix Kim and then he could see just what she was talking about when she told him all of those stories.

"I think I would like to see everyone first."

"Then we'll do that. It'll give you a chance to see a lot of the Manor because we're going to the Elect apartments, which are way away from this part of the place, which is almost open to the public."

Kim nodded, mostly because she could not think of anything else to do. While making sure to keep an eye on Ryujin, Kim could not help looking around as they walked. What he called a "manor" appeared more like a palace to her. There were touches of art and design from all of the world, the world that she had known. Her trained eye recognized many of the pieces that stood or hung around the Manor.

"How did all of these bits of world culture end up in this one place? Who could have collected them all?" she wondered aloud.

"You'll find out soon," he replied, not knowing she was not addressing him.

Kim could only think that someone was the world's greatest thief and managed to get away with so much museum-worthy material, but that did not make sense either. Many of the pieces that she saw were under heavy guard and not even kept out as far as she recalled, so she did not see how they got to the Manor and how they were not missed. Something was so incredibly wrong.

As they moved, Kim thought that the Obsidian Manor felt more like a city. It reminded her of the Forbidden City, actually. It was a place where she could just tell the person in charge lived, but there was so much more going on. There were so many small buildings and houses around the Manor. She was not able to even take it all in.

"It's like being everywhere in the world at once," Kim muttered, feeling like she was in a palace that could have been apart of any culture that came to mind for her. It was too much.

"Do you want to take a cart or do you want to keep looking around?" Ryujin inquired.

"I'm fine with walking and looking," she answered.

He shrugged, even though he thought that it would be better for them to take a cart. He was certain that she was exhausted since he had been pushing a little harder after they got the horses. He just wanted to get back, knowing that if he took too long he would be in trouble. Besides, he doubted that he would be able to keep her questions at bay for much longer.

-8-8-8-8-

"Wade, I was looking at the security cameras. Am I seeing things right over in the Greek Garden?" a male voice inquired from a speaker.

Wade turned his attention to the screen that showed that section of the Obsidian Manor. Even though he knew what to expect, he still blinked several times and had to rub his eyes to be sure. Sniffling, a couple of tears slid down his cheeks.

"Yes, you are seeing correctly. I'm going to round everyone up and send them to the conference room in the Emerald City," Wade reported. His voice almost cracked and he had to wipe away more tears.

"See you over there then."

"Yeah …" Wade sighed. "She's really back. She's really alive. She's really here!" Taking a few deep breaths, he was able to calm himself enough to make the proper calls. His voice shook so much the first couple of times that his own voice program did not recognize him in order to make the calls. The only reason he was able to make the calls was because his hands began shaking instead of his voice after a few minutes.

"You're lying …" one, almost angry voice accused him. He was taken aback by her tone.

"I would never lie about _this_," he insisted.

"You know what I'll do to you if you are, Mister Load. And there will be no way for the Missus to put you back together!"

Gulping, he tried to get his heartbeat together. He had no doubt that threat was a promise. Thankfully, he knew that she was about to be too overwhelmed to even remember that she had threatened his life.

"Just come to the conference room," he ordered once he got his body together.

"I shall be there, with my sword just in case."

Wade was glad to end that communication. He definitely was not used to hostility from her. She had never been very emotional, but for a long time now, she had packed her emotions away and locked them in a box. She was always cool, calculated, and controlled, even when arguing; or "discussing" as she liked to call it. To have her angry and raising her voice as him was totally foreign to him.

"I think that's everyone …" he mumbled to himself. "Well, I guess I do have to call _him_. I can just imagine all of the excuses that'll come out of his mouth not to be there. He never expected this to happen and I don't he'll want to face it. But, I might as well give it a shot."

Hitting a button on his console, he tried to get in touch with the one person he believed should be there. He was not surprised that there was no answer. Shaking his head, he rubbed his chin and scratched his beard.

"I've done my part. It's on him to overcome everything and get his act together," Wade decided, pushing himself out of his chair and standing up. A smile played on his lips. "I can't wait to see her again."

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Ryujin were stopped for the umpteenth time as someone congratulated the blond on his victory in the Sea of Despair. For the most part, Ryujin was calm and collected, downplaying anything that he had done and always making sure to point out that he was not in it alone. He gave Kim credit, even though she was painfully aware that she had not done anything when they were attacked by Gill. Little did Ryujin know, it was that reason that Kim always showed traces of displeasure whenever someone approached him about what happened in the Marsh. He continuously assumed that she was upset that she was not being given any credit by anyone.

He was somewhat annoyed by the idea that Kim was vexed with not getting credit. It was not so much that he acknowledged that she had not done anything, but that he had been led to believe she would not be so petty. The doctor had led him to believe that as great as the Legend was, she was often modest about her abilities beyond her advertising that she could do anything.

"You're rather well known around here," Kim noted as they began moving again.

"I'm often at the Obsidian Manor and I try to get to know everyone that's here," Ryujin replied with a slight shrug.

"That's cool. This place is huge," Kim said to make conversation.

"It is. I think it's about the size of a town. Most people can't imagine what Isabella is like, so for them to see the Obsidian Manor is just beyond thought," he stated.

"I've seen cities much larger and this is still amazing to me. I can't even figure out how to describe this."

"If you think this is amazing, just wait until we get to the Emerald City."

"The Emerald City?" Kim doubted that it was appropriate to make a "Wizard of Oz" joke and something told her that Ryujin would not get it.

"It's what we call the Elect's residence. It's not really a city or anything, but that's what we call it."

"Are these Elects the ones we're going to meet?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The pair continued in silence until they got to a courtyard with several trees and a fountain that Kim was sure belonged in Vatican City. The classic, polished piece was filled with pristine water that cooled the area. There was a teenage girl standing by the pool, who Kim would not have taken notice of, but she waved to Ryujin and he waved back. Apparently, that was a signal to approach because she did.

Kim noted Ryujin gulp slightly as the girl approached. She was a pale girl with short blond hair with bangs in the front, covering dark brown—almost black—eyes. While her stride was confident, it was more graceful than powerful. She flashed Ryujin a perfect smile that he countered with an awkward, shy half-smile.

"Hi, Ryu," she greeted him in a soft, lilting voice. A light blush appeared on his cheeks from the shortening of his name. Not many people outside of those he considered family called him that.

"Uh … Hi, Jess …" he replied, stammering somewhat.

"I heard about what you did at the Sea of Despair. That was quite brave of you. It should make it easier for refugees to cross into the country."

"It wasn't anything big, really, Jess," he stated, putting his hands behind his back for lack of a better thing to do.

"You shouldn't try to be so modest all of the time, Ryu. It was an amazing thing. What were you doing all the way out on the border lands, though? It's so dangerous out there and you were on your own. That's so brazen that it borders on insanity," she commented, brow wrinkling with concern.

Regaining some of his cool, Ryujin waved it off and chuckled a little. "It wasn't really anything. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal why I was over there just yet. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

The girl, Jess, nodded. "I hope you weren't risking your life on something trivial over there."

"During these times, no mission I'm given is trivial. It is my honor to help in any way that I can," he proclaimed. Mentally, Kim noted his choice of words and the seriousness with which he said them.

Jess smiled a little and put her hand on his broad shoulder. The small gesture caused him to swallow hard; he hoped no one noticed. For a moment, it was clear that he was speechless, focusing only on the hand on his shoulder and the smile directed at him. Jess turned her attention to the redhead with the ninja.

"Hi, I don't think I've seen you around here before. I'm Jessica, but most people call me Jess," the blond girl introduced herself, holding a hand out.

"I'm Kim Pos—" Kim tried to introduce herself, but Ryujin's brain returned and he quickly cut her off.

"Kim is new around here. And I have to get Kim to her new position very quickly or we'll both be in trouble," Ryujin stated, stepping away from Jess. Rapidly, he hustled Kim out of the courtyard.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry now?" Kim inquired.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to introduce yourself just yet. I think it would cause too much of a stir. Let's get you to the Elect and they'll know what to do," he explained.

A deep red eyebrow arched. "Too much of a stir?"

"Trust me. It'll all make more sense when you speak with the Elect."

Kim did not argue and followed along with Ryujin, hoping that the end of the mystery would be along soon. After walking through a few wide hallways, they came to the stop in front two doors. Ryujin put his hand on the handle, but did not open it. He turned to look at Kim.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

"Yes, please. I want to know what's going on," she answered.

Nodding, he yanked the door open and then motioned for her to step inside. Taking a deep breath, Kim marched into the room beyond the doors. Olive eyes scanned the room while many of the occupants gasped at the sight.

"Kim ..." The name was said in a whisper accompanied by tears. "Kim!"

Before the redhead could fully grasp what was going on, she was enveloped in a tight embrace. Sobs blocked out anything else Kim might have heard, but her arms automatically returned the hug. Despite the circumstances, the embrace was something beyond surreal because of who was hugging her.

"Trin?" Kim's voice shook because she could not recall the last time her older sister had cried or voluntarily embraced even her.

Trin was Kim's older sister. She had been adopted by the doctors Possible when she was a toddler and Kim was a baby. They had bonded instantly and Kim never even thought of Trin as "adopted." Trin was just her sister, but even though they had always been close, Trin had never been very physically affectionate or overly emotional. Kim swallowed hard, somewhat nervous over her sister's embrace.

"Oh, god, Kim! Oh, god!" Trin continued to sob, body beyond trembling as she held onto her little sister with desperation. To Kim, it felt like Trin's embrace was one of a person who had not seen her in years, but she was almost certain that was not the case. She could recall her sister and for her, it felt like they had probably seen each other days ago.

"Trin, what's going on?" Kim asked in a low voice.

Sniffling, Trin pulled away and stared deep into olive eyes that she missed more than anything else in the world. Kim did the same and was not sure what she saw in blue eyes that looked so much sharper and harder than she recollected. She now doubted that it was days since she last saw the blond Possible.

"So much is going on, mini-me. So much," Trin answered, smiling through her tears, so happy to use her pet name for Kim while speaking Kim.

Kim was about to ask another question, but she took a moment to look at her sister. Trin appeared ... well, more mature than the last memory she had of the blond. Last she recollected, Trin was a college student, twenty-one years old. The woman standing before her was clearly not twenty. Not to say that Trin looked old, but she appeared to be a completely grown woman.

Her sister's style was gone also. She remembered that Trin had always been a fan of pink and yellow, which was the colors she was wearing now, but she did not have on her usual semi-formal wear. Her outfit looked like a cross between her usual clothes and the style that Kim had seen others wearing. She had on a form-fitting yellow shirt covered by a pink vest with what seemed like a pocket watch in the front pocket.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I know you probably have plenty of questions, but if you could just hold off for a moment longer," Trin implored the younger sister.

"Why?" Kim begged to know. She had been dying to ask a million questions and now she was sure she was standing with someone that would respond, but she had to continue to wait.

"There are so many people that want to greet you as I have," Trin explained.

"Like me!" a familiar voice shouted and Kim was not surprised when Shin Toriyama burst forth, grinning like mad. Her sister's best friend and practically the-older-brother-Kim-never-had looked different, much like Trin. He was mature too and he was sporting some angry-looking scars across his face. Kim did not remember when he might have acquired such furious wounds.

"Shin," she smiled as he lifted her in the air and spun her around.

"Ah, you even remember me! Not that I'm anywhere near forgettable!" Shin proclaimed, his eyes showing a light that had been dimmed a long time ago.

"I'm sure he's just as annoying as you remember him," Trin quipped, sounding like herself for the first time.

Kim smiled more and then Shin put her down. He embraced her like a normal person, which to her was more shocking than the spin-around hug. Something was off with these people; they were unlike the people that she knew, but she somehow knew that this truly was Shin and the woman with the blond hair truly was her sister, Trin. She could only wonder what happened to them, though. _Or is what happened to me?_

"It's good to see you again, Kimmie," Shin said in a low, surprisingly serious tone. Pausing for a moment, he inhaled deeply, as if trying to breathe her in.

"You too …" Kim replied in a rather confused tone. Releasing her, Shin stepped back and smiled at her.

"I know you don't get it right now, Kimmie, but it'll all make sense why we're doing this," Shin tried to assure her.

"I hope so," Kim replied, turning her attention from Shin back to Trin. As soon as she did so, Tatsu stepped forward. Again, Tatsu seemed more mature than Kim recalled and like Shin, she was sporting so scary looking scars, but hers were hidden underneath her jumpsuit. Kim could only see the ends of two scars because they were on Tatsu's neck.

"Hey, Trin-clone," Tatsu muttered, reaching out and actually hugging Kim. The move was so unexpected that Kim gasped.

The hug was over before Kim could completely fathom what happened and Tatsu stepped back. Wade over and Kim had to step back. Even though he looked almost completely different, as he was no longer a little chubby boy, but a tall muscular man with long hair and a goatee, there was something about his face that gave him away.

"Wade?" Kim said in disbelief. "Wade? What's going on? I don't remember you being so … big," she said.

"Not surprising," he replied in a smooth, deep voice while leaning down for his own hug. "The last time you saw me, I was a fifteen year old kid," he explained as he wrapped her in powerful arms. He had to breathe her in, too, using all of his senses to assure himself that she was there in the flesh. Kim was alive and back with them. He doubted that he would ever be able to explain the emotions going through him as he held onto her.

Kim searched her mind for that, but even that was not ringing a bell. "I don't even remember you being that old …" she admitted in a tearful voice.

"It's okay, Kim. It's okay. This is a happy occasion. You don't know it, but it's very happy occasion. We'll explain everything and find out what happened to your memories and everything. But, right now, we're just happy you're safe and alive," he promised in a low voice, rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

Nodding was about the only thing that Kim could do, but she did believe him. "I can't believe you're all grown up now. How old are you, anyway?" she inquired, mostly because he looked about the same age as Shin, Trin, and Tatsu, which she knew was not right.

He smiled a little as they broke apart. "Age isn't something we talk about around here. I'm pretty old now, though. Married and everything," he commented proudly, showing off his rather plain wedding band.

"Married? To who?" Kim asked in disbelief, scanning the room for someone that she thought would be Wade's type. There were not too many people left in the room and only one person that she did not know seemed to be paying any mind to what was happening. The woman looked familiar in a way that Kim could not put her finger on.

"I think you should remember Amy Hall," Wade said, putting his arm around the slim woman with ebony hair that had a thick white ring around the middle. She seemed small next to Wade, but was average height. She was wearing a white and pink body suit like everyone else, except her flowed into a dress after going to her waist and was covered by a long, pink vest. She smiled, showing off a wide gap in her teeth and that seemed to trigger Kim's memory.

Kim gasped and pointed. "DNAmy?"

The woman giggled. "Nailed it on the first time, although I'm now known as Amy Load. Most people still call me DNAmy," she replied, all smiles and laughter.

"Wade, you married DNAmy? When and how?" the redhead inquired with a wrinkled forehead, squinting eyes, and searching gaze.

"It's not so surprising. I'll make sure to catch you up later. For the moment, though, just know that we've been married for about six years," he answered with a smile of his own.

Kim had a million more questions, but she was certain that they would be rude to ask in front of DNAmy, so she held her tongue. Besides, it was not like she trusted that crazy woman, so she did not want to let it out just how out of sorts she was. Her head was swimming now, though. Nothing made sense before, but now it seemed double.

"Six years?" was the only thing that Kim could get out and that question sounded like it was snatched out of her throat.

"Six years is nothing. You should ask your sister how long she's been married," Wade remarked, nodding over to Trin.

"I'll explain it all later," Trin replied dryly, waving him off. "I think before any of that, Kim should see the person that made this all possible."

As soon as the words left Trin's mouth, a figure in the back rose out of a chair with a high back. Kim had noticed the person, but could not tell who it was, especially since the person had been facing away for the whole time. But, the green and black cat-suit and long black hair was a dead giveaway, even with the pure white cutting through the middle of that inky mane.

"Shego!" Kim shouted and launched herself at the older fighter before Shego even had a chance to turn completely around.

The redhead charged before anyone knew what was coming, but she did not make it very far. Running into a solid man clad in all black including a black mask that covered his whole face, Kim bounced off of him and fell to the floor. Shego and Trin growled.

"Shadow Hand, what the hell is wrong with you? You might have hurt her!" Trin barked, rushing to her sister's side.

"She was going after Shego," the man in black replied as if that made perfect sense.

"I think I would've been able to handle this one," Shego remarked with her usual smirk as she strolled over to Kim. "That's not the greeting I was expecting, Kimmie," she said, still smirking.

"What did you do, Shego? I know you've got a hand in why everything's so messed up and why I feel like I'm in some alternate universe!" Kim accused the pale woman, still trying to go at her, but her sister was holding her back.

The smirk disappeared as Shego realized Kim was serious, not just in her words, but in her attempt to tear her apart. A frown quickly took residency on her pale face and furrowed her forehead while moistening her gaze. She did not seem to know how she should regard Kim, looking both angry and wounded. For a moment, all she could do was swallow and grind her teeth together.

"Shego, you'll have to forgive Kim. The kid reported some days ago that her memories were incomplete for some reason along with chronic fatigue and the expected confusion," Trin explained. "I didn't see the point in informing you until I was able to assess the situation in real time."

Clearing her throat, Shego managed a nod before speaking. "Yes, well, as the doctor, you should see to that," she stated in a voice that was all business. A little too much business, but no one called her on it.

"You know I will. I'll also be sure to explain to her what's happening to avoid situations like this in the future," Trin replied in her own businesslike tone.

"Let me go, sis!" Kim ordered, struggling to get out of a hold that seemed unbreakable. She was only giving Trin an idea of just how weak she was because the blond was holding her like she would hold a child.

"We can try this again after you've examined her and brought her up to speed on everything," Shego said in a clipped tone and then she hustled out of the room as if it was on fire. Shadow Hand quickly followed her. No one commented on the brisk exit.

"I think I have my hands full," Trin remarked, eyes staring down at her still struggling younger sibling.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: find out what happened to other people in Kim's life and what she missed while she was out.

A/N: Trin, Shin, and Tatsu are characters that I created from my "Pariah" series. If you're curious about them, you can go read that series. Yogurth approved putting them into the story and working them into his "what if" concept.


	7. 6: Consuls

I don't own these characters; they're owned by Disney. I do own Trin and Tatsu. Ryujin is owned by YogurthFrost, whose concepts this story is based on.

6: Consuls

"Trin, I still don't understand why you wouldn't let me go after Shego! What is going on around here? Is any of this even real?" Kim demanded to know, sitting on an examining table and watching her sister take items out of a white draw. The room looked like any other doctor's office, but Kim could not recall Trin being a doctor, or even going to school to be a doctor. Well, not a medical doctor, anyway. "Is the world just upside down?" The question seemed to be rhetorical and Kim was just exhausted.

"I assure you, mini-me, this is all very real. The reason I didn't let you attack Shego is because she's in charge around here and Shadow Hand would have killed you ten different times before you touched her if you actually were a threat to her," Trin explained calmly, barely able to contain herself. "Of course, had you gotten past him, Shego could destroy you in several unspeakable ways before got one move off."

The redhead snorted and rolled her eyes in disbelief since Shego had never be able to get the best of her. "Then what's going on? How did Shego get in charge and why the hell are you following her? Are you all nuts?" she demanded.

Trin took a deep breath and sighed. "Kim, mini-me, you don't know what's going on, so try not to judge yet. Shego's in charge for a very practical reason—she was the best person for the job."

Olive eyes squinted and regarded Trin as if she truly was insane. Kim scratched her forehead, trying hard to absorb that information, but failing miserably. "What? How could you stand there and say that? You can't possibly be my sister if you're standing up for Shego!" she screamed, rushing to her feet and feeling light headed. Quickly, she fell back down to the examination table.

"First off, mini-me, don't get too worked up. I don't think you can handle it right now. Let me do a preliminary examination and tell you as much as I can while I do that. Do you have any questions before I start?"

"About my health or about what the hell is going on?" Kim huffed.

"Either one."

"Tell me everything, like since when are you a doctor? Shouldn't Mom be the one doing this or is Mom smart enough to not follow Shego?" Kim inquired in a harsh tone with her nose turned up in the air.

Trin paused for a very brief moment and went completely rigid. The action did not get by Kim, even though she was not at her best. The flash of emotion in Trin's eyes frightened Kim a bit, but she needed to ask what she thought was written on Trin's face for less than a second.

"Trin … where are Mom and Dad?" the redhead asked in a low tone. She had to swallow past a lump forming in her throat.

Trin took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. "I haven't spoken about Mom and Dad in a long time, Kimmie. They died … a long time ago …"

"Died?" Kim echoed, her voice cracking.

"Yes. Kim, you've been gone for over twenty years and since that time the world has been at war. The world was ravaged by the war and many lives were lost, our parents among them. I am so sorry," Trin whispered, taking Kim into a hug for the second time in less than twenty minutes.

"How …?" Kim inquired, biting her lip to keep from bawling her eyes out.

"Casualties of war. Mom was murdered while working on injured refugees. The hospital, which was little more than a series of tents outside of the town that was once Middleton, was set on fire. Mom died making sure her patients got to safety. I'll spare you the details. Dad was killed not too long after that. He was captured and tortured …" Tears slid down Trin's face and she sniffled, triggering Kim's tears.

"Who …?" the younger woman was unable to get the rest of the question out. She just did not have enough breath in her lungs to get that out.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that. The person that did it paid dearly," Trin said in a deadly voice.

Kim gulped, knowing what her older sister meant. She was not ready to travel down that road with Trin. Instead, she stirred the conversation in a slightly different direction.

"What about the twins?" the younger woman asked, unable to keep the quiver out of her voice. She was not sure she would be able to keep it together if their brothers were dead, too. She held onto Trin just a little tighter in case she did fall apart. She had faith that Trin would keep from completely shattering.

Trin sniffled and smiled a little. "They're still alive."

"Where are they?"

Now, the blond sighed. "I'm not completely sure. We communicate every now and then, but they won't be coming here anytime soon."

"Ron?"

"He's around," Trin said in an oddly normal tone. She said it almost as if she had seen him yesterday and was completely disinterested in him.

Kim nodded. "Where?" Her voice cracked as some relief broke through her grief.

"Around."

"You're almost as bad as that guy who didn't want to give me any answers. You know, I thought he was Ron at first," the redhead admitted, forcing out a laugh.

Trin pulled away somewhat and regarded Kim with what the hero guessed was an amused expression; it was hard to tell with Trin since her face did not really change. "He does bare a strong resemblance to him, doesn't he? I suppose Ron has strong genes, but I like to think that Ryujin has much of his mother in him too."

Kim blinked. "Wait, are you saying ...?"

"Oh, I thought you pieced together that Ron was our nephew's father," Trin commented. It certainly was not like Kim to miss something so obvious. She could only wonder what the hell twenty years trapped in something that Drakken concocted during his less demented and more zany days had done to her little sister.

"Our nephew?" Kim echoed, sounding beyond bewildered.

"Well, I would assume that you would see him as a nephew since you saw Ronald as a brother. I, on the other hand, view him more as a nephew based on his mother's claims to me, but I think it's safe for me to assume that Ronald sees me as family at this point."

Kim nodded, even though she was not taking it all in. Everything seemed so surreal and it seemed like every time she thought that she had idea of what was going on, something new blindsided her. Her parents were gone, the twins were who-knew-where, and Ron had a teenage son._ Have I really been gone for twenty years? How?_

"Trin ... has it really been twenty years?" Kim asked in a mumble, eyes focusing on the floor, but not seeing it.

"More, actually. Twenty-three years. Kim, we never lost hope that you were alive and well. We did have a memorial service, but we always knew you were out there somewhere," Trin promised.

Kim scratched her head. "I don't get that. How did you know I was still alive if I've been gone for so long."

"Back then, Drakken never killed anyone, even at his worse. Even when he was bragging, he always said that he had 'gotten rid' of you, but he never said the word 'killed.' Do you remember what happened on the day you were frozen?" the blond asked in a gentle, concerned voice.

Red hair swayed as Kim shook her head. "I don't even remember being frozen. Everything is just a jumbled mess in my head. I don't even remember how old I am."

Trin nodded. "You're twenty. Do you remember you were in college?" Again, Kim shook her head and Trin sighed. "Okay, I think I should get to the examination before anything. I want to find out what's wrong with your memories. Who knows what Drakken could have done to you."

"Is Drakken ... still around?"

Trin's pale features went tight. "Yeah, Drakken is still around. Tell you what, mini-me, let me get through this examination and then we'll have dinner together. Just the two of us and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Won't your ... your spouse mind?" Kim inquired, swallowing down the awkwardness that tried to accompany those words.

"Tatsu will understand. Besides, it'll give her an excuse to continue working on her pet project with Wade. He's her mentor," Trin replied with a slight smile.

"Wade mentors Tatsu?"

"Yes, they have a very interesting relationship. They seem to communicate through work, which is still better than Tatsu communicates with most. So, do we have a deal?"

Kim nodded in agreement. Trin smiled and, for the moment, the conversation was over. Trin focused on her examination and Kim silently admitted that her sister was a very thorough doctor. If asked what she thought Trin would end up when she was in the real world, Kim never would have considered doctor. While Trin had always admired their mother, being a doctor was never a path for her because she was not social enough and quite frankly she lacked the empathy that a doctor needed to care for her patients. Kim wondered if that had changed. _Has Trin changed? Has everyone changed?_ And if so, how would she fit in?

The exam was much longer than either of them expected, but Trin needed to check everything. After she was done, Trin sighed and dropped herself into a nearby stool. Kim busied herself by rubbing her bicep, having been stuck with several needles.

"Well, the good news is that I can't off the cuff say that anything is seriously wrong with you. The fatigue should lift on it's own. Most of your muscles and bones seem to be slightly damaged from being frozen, but after you move around enough, you should go back to normal," Trin explained.

"I have been moving around. I've been moving ever since ... Ryujin ... found me," Kim argued. The name came out awkward as she still felt the urge to call the young man "Ron."

"No, you've been straining ever since he found you. You've pushed your body too hard too fast. You have to take it easy. So, for the moment, doctor's orders are plenty of rest, healthy food, and light exercises until I say otherwise. Understood?" Trin inquired in a tone that Kim recognized.

"Yes," the younger woman pouted.

"Next," Trin said and she turned to her desk, where there was a monitor waiting. She turned it on and brought up images of what Kim guessed were the results of her MRI; yes, Trin had even given her an MRI as well as several other brain scans. "I don't see any signs of brain-damage."

"That's always good," Kim remarked with a half-smile.

"This is true. I think the problems with your memories are the same as the problems with your body. Your brain seems to be functioning normally, but at much slower pace. There were several areas that seemed slow to respond to stimuli, but they did respond. I think your body is just trying to catch up with the fact that you are awake and not frozen anymore. I'll have to check the other tests to make sure, but for now, stick with my initial orders. We'll do weekly check-ups until we're both assured that you're perfectly fine," Trin stated.

Kim felt like a bobble-head doll as she nodded again. "Now what?"

"Now, I'll show you to your quarters and let you get settled in while I make some reports. After I am finished, I will come get you and you will have dinner at my place where we'll talk for as long as you like, all right?" Trin proposed.

"Spanking."

Trin suddenly burst into tears, causing Kim's eyes to go wide. The redhead hopped up and hugged her older sister. It seemed that only caused Trin to cry more.

"I'm so sorry that I'm such a mess, mini-me, but I haven't heard that in so long. I had no idea how much I missed your vernacular," Trin said.

"It's okay, sis. I'm here. I'm here," Kim said.

"This is silly. I should be the one comforting you. You are the one that's in a strange land and everything surely must seem upside-down and backwards to you and here I am crying on your shoulder."

"It's all right. I'm sure once the shock of all of this wears off and it hits me, I will need you for just the reasons you mentioned," Kim informed the older woman.

Trin sniffled before taking a deep breath. She pulled away and stared down at Kim. Unable to help herself, she put both hands on Kim's face as if telling herself that the redhead was real. Kim could not help smiling at the gesture.

"Come on, let's get you to your place and I'll hurry through work, so we can discuss everything," Trin said.

Again, Kim nodded and they were off. Trin was a much better tour-guide than Ryujin, pointing out the works of art around the Obsidian Manor and explaining how the pieces got there. It seemed like every city on Earth that Kim had ever heard of had been raised and raided, leaving behind only little bits of culture that they were able to rescue.

Kim hated to feel a bit reluctant to believe her sister, but priceless pieces of art in a place run by Shego ... it was hard to buy the "we saved them" story that Trin was telling. Kim was not sure what to make of it, but did not say anything about her doubts. She mostly just listened to Trin and tried to imagine how horrible this war must have been if it not only destroyed cities, but seemed to wipe out land masses if Kim was remembering the crude map drawn for her by Ryujin correctly. Those were just more things to ask her sister about when they sat down for dinner.

The walk to the residences seemed to take forever, but Kim enjoyed hearing her sister's voice and liked the smile on Trin's face. It was rare for Trin to smile as far as Kim remembered, but she knew that her sister always had one for her. This smile seemed extra-special, though.

"This is your apartment," Trin announced as they came to elaborately decorated French doors.

"This seems like a bit much and we haven't even been inside yet," Kim commented. The doors just looked like something that would be inside of a palace … and then she recalled where she was.

"I know it might seem like a lot, but give yourself a chance to get accustomed to it before you judge anything. Make yourself comfortable and take care of yourself," the blond commanded.

The redhead merely nodded and Trin opened the doors. There was a small foyer and then they walked through an archway, which had beads hanging in it. They then entered the living space and it looked like an expensive condo as far as Kim was concerned.

"Wade didn't tell me you were coming until you arrived, so I was unable to make the apartment special for you, but if you give me and Shego some time, I'm sure these place will feel something like home within the day," Trin promised.

"It's fine …" Kim muttered. "I doubt anything will feel like home for a long time …"

It was Trin's turn to nod. "I know what you mean, mini-me. The best I can tell you is to take your time and take things day by day. Now, I do hate to leave you, but I have matters to tend to. I was able to get some snacks into the room for you in order for you to occupy yourself. Take a shower and then a bath and get some sleep."

"Doctor's orders?"

"Both doctor's orders and big sister's orders. Now, settle in. Eat something, get cleaned up, and rest."

"I need clothes."

"I'll ask Tatsu to bring you some things. Is that all right?" Trin asked. She believed that Kim would be more comfortable with someone that she knew bringing her clothes and other items. Plus, she would feel better knowing that someone she trusted was watching over her little sister. She could not bear the thought of losing Kim again.

Kim nodded in agreement and Trin turned to leave, but did not make it far. Turning again, Trin grabbed Kim into one more embrace. The redhead wasted no time returning it.

"I love you so much, mini-me, and I missed you so desperately. I don't think you'll ever know what it's like and I pray that you never do. I hope you never have to feel that type of pain ever in your life," Trin whispered fiercely.

"I love you too, sis. You do know you're acting weird, though, right?" Kim pointed out.

"I know. I promise I'll get better, but for now, I'm rather overwhelmed," the blond Possible admitted.

"I don't understand what's going on, but you know I'm here for you."

"You should know the same. I'm going to give you a device that should look familiar to you," Trin said, going into her pocket. She pulled away long enough to give Kim an item that certainly did look familiar.

"A Kimmunicator," Kim declared with a grin. Finally, something that she recognized!

"Yes, a Kimmunicator. We all use them, but you have to punch in a code for who you want to get in touch with, kind of like a phone. I'll show you how to use it or Wade will show you, but someone will show you. For now, I just want to give you my code and Wade's code in case you need one of us. I'll give you Tatsu's also, even though she's going to be here."

Kim nodded. "Um … Trin, what about Joss? Is Joss still around?"

"Joss is still around. You'll be amazed when you see her. She's off on a mission right now, but she should be back soon enough. I'll give you her code once I'm sure she's done with the mission. We don't want to distract her by letting her know you're finally back. She'll go nuts when she sees you," Trin replied.

A smile graced Kim's rounded face. "That's good. Uncle Slim?"

"Sorry, Kimmie …" Trin answered, shaking her head.

Sniffling, the redhead nodded. "It's all right. I thought that might be the case. When did it happen?"

"Recent. Uncle Slim had been with us until a couple of years ago. He was … well, Uncle Slim kicked ass. Damn enemy got lucky when they took him out," Trin growled.

Kim was silent and Trin decided to take her leave before Kim drew her into a lengthy conversation. As she was leaving, she made sure to call Tatsu, who agreed to go sit with Kim. Kim decided to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. The apartment had the basics that she would expect, a kitchen, living room, dining area, two bedrooms, an office, and massive bathroom; the master bedroom had a full bathroom, which was quite large too.

The space was definitely too big for one person. In fact, Kim would say that it was too big for an entire family. While it was basic, it was large and empty. The walls were all white and bare. Everything was bare. There was no furniture aside from two black chairs at the kitchen counter. The floors were wooden in the bedrooms, office, living and dining areas, but tiled in the kitchen and bathroom. The tiles were even white.

"This place feels so sterile," Kim muttered to herself, wrapping her arms around her chest. She did not have time to contemplate that much as Tatsu entered the apartment with a bag in hand.

"Hey, Trin-clone," Tatsu said in the mumble voice that Kim remembered well.

"That was fast," Kim commented.

"Wasn't doing anything since Wade had to have a meeting with some of our techs. He would've been here, too, if it wasn't for that. Besides, it's good to see you again," Tatsu admitted.

The younger woman smiled. "Good to see you too."

"I know you've got plenty of questions and things, but Trin already told me that you're supposed to eat, bathe, and sleep to make sure you get better," Tatsu stated.

A laugh escaped Kim; she should have expected that Tatsu would follow her doctor's orders immediately. She did not put up an argument and simply did as she was told. After all, she felt like she had been put through a trash compactor twice. She doubted that she would be able to ask more than a couple of questions without passing out.

There was a refrigerator in the kitchen, which had the food Trin explained she left. Kim ate, bathed, and then went to bed. Anything that she needed to accomplish those goals could be found in the bag that Tatsu brought for Kim. She was asleep in very comfortable pajamas as soon as her head hit the pillow.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, where are we in this thing? Is Joss back yet?" Shego inquired, sitting on what was easily a throne. Shadow Hand stood behind her, silently guarding her. She was speaking to Trin, who was sitting in a plain chair in front of Shego.

Trin's face was passive as she regarded the pale woman. "Joss hasn't checked in yet. Not with me, anyway. I shall check with one of my lieutenants once we're done here," she answered plainly.

"That's not good enough," Shego growled.

"Is it not good enough because you want something to distract you from the questions you have about Kim?" Trin countered in a bland tone.

Shego snarled deeper than before. "Watch it," she ordered, pointing a clawed, glove-covered finger at the blond.

Trin waved her off. "We both know that's not likely to happen. Can I just tell you about Kim? I'm sure it'll ease the wounds none of us can see."

The frown on Shego's face would have spent many people fleeing from the room. "Continue," she commanded briskly.

"For the most part, her body and mind are just slowed down. They haven't been used for twenty-three years, so everything is just slowed down. There surprisingly doesn't seem to be any long term damage as all her major organs are functioning properly. Her memories seem to be intact, but her brain doesn't have the energy yet to access everything. Activity in most areas of her brain is there, but nowhere near the level it should be. Her brain seems to focusing on performing basic tasks of keeping her on her feet and coherent enough to speak properly. I'm not sure exactly when everything will come back to her, but everything should. I'm going to continue testing her to make sure and I'm going give her weekly check-ups."

"Is that all?" Shego demanded. "If that's the case, why did she try to attack me?"

"She doesn't remember being friends with you, I suspect. She didn't even remember how old she was or that she was in college. Be patient with her, Shego. This is a lot for her to absorb and it probably will be for quite a while."

Shego did not say anything for a moment, merely crossing her legs and shifting from the left side of the chair to the right side. Trin was just as silent and patient, knowing that Shego was considering what to say and do. Once she made a decision, she leaned forward a bit.

"Is she healthy? That stupid bastard Drakken didn't hurt her much, right?" Shego inquired, trying her best to sound hard and uncaring. It was hard to do when she was asking what she was asking.

"As healthy as one can expect from someone trapped in God-knows-what for twenty years while being buried under shifting molten earth and then being revived into a world that the one can barely fathom," Trin answered.

Shego arched an eyebrow. "Stop doing that thing where I don't know if you're being bitchy or just yourself … not that there's much of a difference. So, she's healthy for the most part. That's good. I would've made it my personal goal to skin the bastard alive if he had harmed her. Does she remember what happened to her?"

"No. She seemed completely confused when I mentioned Drakken and freezing her. As I said, her memories are there, but slow. I'm sure the fog will lift little by little. I just can't tell you how long it will take right now. I don't want to do anything to color her memories or disrupt the process. She's still Kim, though. If you were friends with her once, you'll get there again," the blond tried to assure the leader.

Shego nodded. "I suppose we should all be thankful she's alive and mostly intact."

"I certainly thank whatever power in the universe made that possible."

"Why, blondie, you've suddenly found religion?" Shego teased.

"I'm sure you're the same. This is the one spark of hope we've all seen in a long time. That bastard has taken a lot from us, but this is one thing that we got back," Trin answered. "We got Kim back," she stated in a strong, but emotional tone.

"And we won't lose her again. I don't want her anywhere near this war, especially while she's as she is now."

"Agreed. She's nowhere near combat-ready physically and mentally. Even at her best, I don't think Kim would be able to deal with what we have until she totally understood the situation. I doubt she'll fully grasp what's going on until her brain goes back to normal."

"Then it's settled. The Legend is going to be on the sidelines," Shego remarked. "I suppose it wouldn't be a good idea for me to see her."

"Not yet, no. Eventually, though. Eventually. Give her time."

Sighing, Shego nodded. "I have no choice. I don't want to get attacked again, after all."

"Speaking of attacked …" Trin turned her attention to Shadow Hand and glared at him. "I don't know what your deal is where you're going to hide behind that mask the whole time and remain silent while she's around like you don't want anything to do with her. If that's your plan, I have no problem with it. But, know this, if you ever, ever in your life approach my sister in a less than friendly manner, Ryujin will become an orphan," she promised.

"She was going to attack Shego," Shadow Hand replied coldly. Emerald and sapphire eyes rolled at that excuse. He ignored them and stuck by his response.

"Honestly, we all know that Kim wouldn't have been able to do anything to Shego. Even if she could, Kim would have only fought her. Nothing more. Again, I don't care what your plan is with Kim, but if you ever try that bullshit again, I will kill you," Trin informed him.

"My, my, blondie, all of this passion all of a sudden. I'm sure Tatsu will appreciate it," Shego taunted the younger woman.

Aqua eyes rolled. "If only we could all be like you, remain the same while doing a complete 180. Is this meeting over?"

"Why? Hot date?" Shego continued on.

"I was unaware that the throne was also a platform for stand-up comedy performances. If you must know, I promised Kim that she and I would eat together and I would do my best to explain everything to her. I would invite you, but you know …" Trin replied.

Shego frowned. "Are you sure there's no way to speed up the memory process? I mean, can't we just like run electricity through her brain to speed it up?"

"And you're a scientist suggesting these things? Good thing you're just in charge of the country and not someone's body. You can't force the healing process. Next thing you know, you'd fry Kim's brain from the inside out. Let her body adjust. You know better than most just how incredible Kim is."

Chuckling somewhat, the leader smiled. "Princess might be fine by tonight with the way she works."

"This is quite true."

Shego sighed. "I suppose I'll have to learn to be patient. It's been twenty years. I suppose a few days or weeks won't hurt," she muttered.

"Hopefully, it'll be days or weeks."

"It could be longer?" the leader pressed with a frown settling on her face.

"As I said, Shego, I don't know how long it could take. You have to be patient. We all have to be patient," Trin replied. "Let's just be happy that Kim is here now and end it there for the moment. Let's make today a happy day."

"Are you trying to get out of work or something?" Shego taunted the doctor.

"If anything, I'm making the suggestion to help you get out of work," Trin countered and then she checked the time, using her pocket watch. "I need to go check in with my lieutenants and find out what's going on in Jannika."

"Shouldn't you make your monthly trip there?"

"Do you honestly believe I'm leaving Isabella while Kim is here?"

Shego only smiled a bit. Trin took that as her dismissal and she exited the room. Taking a deep breath, Shego sighed. She then looked up at Shadow Hand.

"Are you sure you want to leave things like this?" the ebony-haired woman inquired.

"What would you suggest I do? This is my life now. I protect you, I fight this war, and I try my best to be a good father. Nothing else matters," he answered.

"Nothing else matters?" An arched onyx eyebrow said otherwise, but she waved it off. "It's your life. I'm not going to tell you how to live it. I just think it might do Kim some good. It might do you some good, too."

A grunt escaped him. "I think I know what I'm doing."

"Or you think you're trying to protect her … or yourself. Again, it's your life. I'm not going to tell you how to live it, but this is Kim. I know you. I've known you a long time and I think—" She was cut off.

"What happened to it's my life and you're not going to tell me how to live it?" Shadow Hand inquired.

"Right, whatever. I've got work to do. Do you have to get back to the Shadow Mountains?" Shego asked.

"No, I've left several people in charge and things are running smoothly. I'm best used at your side," he answered.

Shrugging, Shego did say anything. She got up from her throne, which was not nearly as lavish as most would expect of her. Yes, it was a chair made of gold with some jewels on it, but it was about the size of an office chair. Sometimes, Shego looked at it and thought that she should just put it at someone's dining room table.

"Shadow Hand, do you think this is a sign?" Shego asked in a strangely wistful tone.

"I think we're strong and we're going to prevail. No signs needed," the ninja stated in a powerful tone.

A half-smile worked its way onto her pale face. "I can't doubt you there," she agreed.

-8-8-8-8-

When Trin arrived at Kim's new apartment, she found that Tatsu had already taken care of dinner. The meal was sitting on a blanket and Trin scanned it quickly to make sure it would be good for Kim. Tatsu seemed to be finishing up on her own food.

"Baby, you didn't eat more junk, did you?" Trin scolded her spouse.

Tatsu shrugged. "You're not here to cook, gotta eat something," she countered.

"I'll let you get away with it this time, baby, but consider that the only junk food you get this week. Is Kim asleep?"

Tatsu shook her head. "Bathroom. She slept some, but I think nightmares got her up. She was screaming not too long ago. I looked in and she was asleep, but not for long."

Trin nodded. "Nightmares would be understandable. It wouldn't bother you if I asked her to stay with us for a while or if I stay here until she gets settled in?"

"Course not. I understand she's your sister. Wade called and said he's probably going to be here a lot too, so I can work on stuff without him hovering over me."

"He doesn't hover."

"He's a helicopter mom. You know where to find me when you need to," Tatsu said.

The couple exchanged kisses and then Tatsu was gone. Trin settled down, surveying the meal again. Kim appeared seconds later and went right to Trin. They exchanged a brief hug. Before the redhead could say anything, Trin passed her a small bowl of fruit. Olive eyes studied the fruit.

"Genetically engineered fruit?" Kim guessed.

"There's a reason why much of this world is genetically engineered. I told you we're in a war, correct?" Trin asked.

"Yes."

"I'll explain the whole war to you in the abridged form. After that, you can ask questions and I'll do my best to answer. If you want more information, I will be more than happy to show you the library and you can look everything up."

Kim nodded. "Okay. Tell me what happened and how in the world you ended up taking orders from Shego of all people!"

"You know, you'll be shocked to find out that when you disappeared, Shego was one of the first people to take up your cause. I don't think anyone, even you with the huge Possible ego that you have, could fathom what your reported death did to the world."

"My reported death?"

"Drakken boasted how he had gotten rid Kim Possible after he froze you. I won't go into detail regarding that event because I don't want to color your memories. Once the super villain world had reason to believe you were dead, and they had plenty of reason since you weren't helping or stopping even small crimes in your own hometown, they went for broke. All sorts of characters came out of the wood works and your usual brand of crazies got even crazier. Megalomania grew exponentially with Drakken, Dementor, Gemini, and the Seniors. Even Monkey Fist threw his lot in for taking over the world. Villains were like roaches. It was like a criminal orgy.

"First, everyone assumed they would tire themselves out or things would settle down as the criminals and law enforcement adjusted to your disappearance. There was the belief that law enforcement, like Global Justice and Interpol could handle things until the dirt settled. Unfortunately, things did not turn out that way. While law enforcement kept an eye on the known villains, unknown ones were popping up and doing insane things. Inventions of all sorts of destruction were being made. It started small with bank robberies and things with crazy, futuristic weapons, but as those grew, law enforcement took their eyes off the big guns. That was a huge mistake. No one knows who the 'genius' was that invented an earthquake machine, but that was the first time countries were torn apart and the Earth had several hiccups from the unnatural movement. It was first of many inventions that reshaped the planet …" Trin said.

"Is that why I didn't recognize the map that Ryujin drew?" Kim asked.

"Yes, this is what the world looks like now," Trin answered, bringing the image up from her kimmunicator. A 3D image of the Earth came up.

The image showed a much better picture than what Ryujin drew, but Kim saw that the ninja had been accurate enough. The eastern side of the world was larger than she gathered from Ryujin's rendering and there were several small islands that he missed. The single continent was also on more of a tilt than Ryujin had depicted with the west leaning closer to the equator.

"Ryujin told me this is all Shego's land," Kim said, circling the western half of the world with her index finger. "Who controls the eastern half?"

"Junior," Trin answered.

"As in Senor Senior Junior?" Kim asked with a gasp.

"Yes, Junior has gotten more ambitious and competent over the years. A couple of years after you vanished, his father died and Junior suddenly found himself caring about his father's legacy to the world. He decided that the whole world should be controlled by a Senior in honor of his father. His money helped him buy armies and he was shockingly ruthless in his desires. Shego actually didn't think he was much of a threat when he started out and internally she still beats herself up over underestimating him.

"Junior mercilessly slaughtered anyone that stood in his way. He set out to recruit scientists to help him and it was a mess to anyone who didn't agree. He tried to get Dementor to join him and when Dementor refused, Junior paid off all of Dementor's men to betray him. Dementor was then given a very Roman death by being thrown to lions while Junior watched. He then had all of Dementor's men killed as he has little time for traitors."

Kim's mouth dropped open and she could only utter one word, "Whoa."

"Exactly. The next scientist Junior approached made sure to agree to work with him and that scientist was Drakken. With Drakken on his side, Junior was able to build a mechanical army."

"I don't understand why Shego wouldn't go along," Kim said.

"When this whole thing started, Shego was the first person to start fighting back. She probably would have done fine if Junior hadn't teamed up with Drakken and then teamed up with Hench, which gave him access to some of the most advanced technology on the planet. Once that happened, he had the power to reduce cities to rubble in minutes and he did. He was inches away from controlling the world."

"And how'd you stop him?"

"Well, technically, we haven't stopped him yet. We've merely halted his advance. It's been hard. We banded together too late. By the time, Shego, Wade, Shadow Hand, and I all joined forces, Junior had taken control of quite a bit and gotten his hands on weapons we could barely comprehend. Plus, he had people in his pocket creating things that we could hardly keep up with. It didn't help that we couldn't agree on anything when it came time to fight. We eventually agreed that we needed one leader, like Junior had. This was no time to be democratic. We needed someone who could make one decision and that was it. No arguing, no discussion, just a decision to make this work."

"And you all picked Shego?" Kim asked in disbelief.

"She was the best one for the job. Wade has too much compassion, Shadow Hand would only see the mission, and I'm sure you remember my feelings toward most of the world. Shego had compassion for the people who weren't fighting, could make a decision about battle, and could organize the survivors. She empathized with your ideals and mission, too. Plus, she has a little bit of each of our specialties while we can only do what we do."

Kim nodded, even though she did not believe that Shego was the best person for the job. "Why isn't Junior happy with owning what looks like three-fourths of the world?"

"Nothing short of the whole world will satisfy him at this point. Plus, he has almost nothing to rule over there. His army is mainly robots and he has probably less than a quarter million people in his country. Those that are there are in poor shape. He wants people to rule and we're the side with the people. We're all the side with agriculture, clean air, and water. His side is polluted from factories, it's mostly desert, mountains, and frost in the north, and there are few fresh water lakes and the rivers are rather pathetic."

Kim nodded for a second and took in the information. "Okay, I get that he got the bad end of a mostly destroyed world after starting a war. What I don't get is how Shego ends up being ruler of this end and you being okay with that. I mean, why would you purposely put Shego of all people in charge? Is she like the queen or something?"

"I suppose in a sense, she's a dictator. What she says goes. When we're not on the battlefield or worrying about attacks, she consults us, whom everyone calls the Elect, even though we weren't elected. The world is not the same as you remember it, Kimmie, and right now, we need a monarch. We need one person who can call the shots because a debate here could mean thousands of innocent people die or Junior takes over more land. I know it doesn't make sense to you because you don't know what it's like, but these are the facts," Trin said straight out.

The redhead nodded again. It was so much to take in and none of it made any sense. She could not even figure out what questions to ask now. So, for the moment, she just enjoyed dinner, finding everything to be very delicious. _How could food taste so good in such a backwards place?_

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim hangs out with Wade while trying to get a handle on all of the new information that she's learned.


	8. 7: Drowning

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin and Tatsu. Ryujin belongs to YogurthFrost; this story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. I don't own the Twilight Zone or Punk'd, which are mentioned in the chapter.

7: Drowning

"You summoned me?" Ryujin inquired as he appeared before Shego, who was sitting on her throne, viewing files from her kimmunicator. She often thought that Kim would be tickled to know that most communication devices and information devices were known as kimmunicators. Now, she doubted that Kim thought anything about their world or way of life was humorous in any way.

The blond teen was not surprised to find her working in the dimly lit throne room, which they mostly referred to as the Dark Room. Of course, it got that nickname because Shego often worked in the dark. It made several people somewhat afraid of the woman that they all called The Savior. It amused him that people were scared of Shego, who, yes, could be fierce as a liger, but also as docile as a house cat. He always thought that she was perfectly nice to him, like an aunt.

"You are prompt, Ryujin," she commented without bothering to look at him. She was dressed in what she considered to be her uniform, which was the latest version of her black and green cat-suit. It was more emerald than onyx now and had a utility belt, as Wade liked to call it. It was fashioned after Kim's battle-suit, which Wade had designed and redesigned many times over the years. So, Shego was basically a one-woman army while in her uniform.

"A Shadow Hand ninja is always on time for it could be a matter of life and death. Seconds always matter," he pointed out in a deadly serious manner.

Shego laughed a bit and shook her head. "You sound so much like him when you do that." She did not sound as amused as she looked.

The teen chuckled and smiled a little. "He's right, though. Seconds are always precious."

"I'm well aware of that, kid. So, I have an assignment for you. One that I don't want you to tell anyone about, especially not that loudmouth aunt of yours."

He laughed again. "I know not to tell her anything!"

"Whoever heard of a ninja that can't shut up? Anyway, I need you to act as a bodyguard for the Legend," Shego informed him, still focused on her work, but she caught sight of his expression from the corner of her eye. It was like his face twitched. It was nothing big and it only lasted about a millisecond, but it caused her to arch an eyebrow. "Something wrong with watching over the Legend? I thought you were quite the fan of Kimmie's."

"There's nothing wrong. She's just … not what I expected," Ryujin answered in a careful manner, eyes glancing off to the side.

"People rarely what you expect when you meet them, kid. That's just a fact of life. It happens to the best of us."

"But, she's …" he trial off because he was not sure how to finish that sentence without being disrespectful.

"Weak, confused, and lost? I know, which is why I'm assigning you to protect her. Listen to me, kid, Kimmie might be quite a few things right now that you dislike, but it's not her fault. She's an amazing person, but you have to give her a chance to adjust. I doubt many people would be able to live for twenty-three years trapped by Drakken and swallowed by lava. No one here is perfect, so give her a chance."

Ryujin absorbed the words and then nodded firmly. "Of course. You're right. I'll try," he vowed in a powerful tone.

"Good. I don't want you to tell her that you're assigned to her. She wouldn't take that well. I'm sure you'll enjoy being around her, kid. She's an excellent person," Shego stated strongly.

A blond headed nodded. He was not one to doubt their leader, their savior. She had yet to steer them wrong. Besides, even though part of him was disillusioned with the Legend after meeting Kim, part of him still clung to the stories of the girl that could do anything.

"How are things going with that girl you always blush at?" Shego inquired, shifting gears with him because she found it to be funny when one of the deadly serious Shadow Hand ninjas was a little off-balance.

"I don't always blush at her!" Ryuin squeaked and made a somewhat crooked face.

Chuckling, she smirked at him briefly. "Of course not. How long has she been here anyway? A few months now?"

The ninja thought on it. Several months ago, during a surprise battle, he had managed to save a young woman who was trapped underneath a fallen cottage. The carnage had been gut wrenching and the village that was attacked had burned off the face of the Earth, but a few people had survived. Jess had been one of them and it was thanks to him. He liked to check up on her to make sure that she was doing all right. He just felt like he should be sure that she was all right.

"It's been a few months, yes," he informed the ruler.

A grunt was the first thing that came from her. "Has she been able to locate any of her family from the village or friends?"

"She's run into a couple of friends from what I've heard, but her family was all killed. The village barely had a dozen survivors, remember?"

"You're right. I don't even think the grass survived that attack. I know it seems like I'm asking a lot of questions, kid, but I do like to keep up with you," Shego reminded him with a small smile.

A blush stained his cheeks. "I know. You all do. I appreciate it," he admitted.

"Good to know. So, will you watch over Princess for me?" Shego asked, the nickname slipping past her lips before she even realized it. She cleared her throat before he could respond. "I mean, will you watch over _Kim_ for me?" she corrected herself.

"It would be my honor," Ryujin answered, bowing slightly.

"Good. Give her some space for a few days. She's still trying to wrap her mind around all of this. Not to mention, she just found out that much of her family is dead, her home is gone, and the world as she knew it is gone. I can't imagine what dealing with that must be like," Shego said.

Ryujin nodded. "Where is she now?"

"With Wade," Shego answered without thought or hesitation. Ryujin nodded and fought down the urge to laugh while Shego did not seem to notice that she had done anything suspicious.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was sitting across a cluttered desk, conversing with Wade. He had emptied his whole area when arriving with her. Dozens of people fled the room, which was about the size of a house, but with complete open space. Kim wondered why he had made everyone leave, but decided against asking.

"So, how are you holding up?" Wade inquired. He tried to mask the concern in his eyes, but it was an impossible task.

"Fine. It's a lot to take in, you know. Hard to believe I'm actually forty-three, my parents are dead, I have no clue where my brothers or Ron is, and Shego's in charge of half of the world. Are you sure this isn't the Twilight Zone or like an episode of Punk'd gone horribly wrong?" Kim begged to know.

"Unfortunately, that is not the case. This is the way things really are. How much did Trin break down for you?"

Putting her hands on her head, she rubbed her forehead. "More than I could process, I think. If you want to throw some more at me, go ahead." Of course, if she had more thrown at her, it was just going to be more to process. She thought that she would do better with more information, though, no matter how bewildering it all was.

Wade nodded, but he eyes her as if trying to access how much she could handle. "How about I start small? She told you how about the shape of the world now, right?"

The redhead nodded slightly. "She and that kid that looks like Ron … Ryujin, I think … told me."

"Yeah, that was Ryujin. I'll go into more detail on that for you, so it's not too heavy, okay?" he proposed.

She nodded and Wade turned to a keyboard that he kept on his desk. Suddenly, a 3D hologram of the globe appeared in between them. Wade then moved over to Kim's side, so he could point things out to her.

"Okay, so thanks to earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, accelerated continental drift, and the overall rising of the ocean levels, this is what's left of the land on planet Earth. So, where Ryujin picked you up was the Sea of Despair. It's a giant swamp, which I'm sure you noticed," Wade commented, circling close to the middle of the map where the land narrowed quite a bit.

"It was also full of mutants. I wonder who was behind that," Kim snapped.

A frown took over Wade's whole face. Kim barely noticed, twisting her own features into a scowl as she studied a ruined planet. Her demeanor betrayed her thoughts, blaming everything on everyone who was a villain back when she was active.

"Okay, Kim, I know you remember my wife in a pretty bad light, but she is my wife now and she's very important to the survival of everyone in the country of Kimber, so how about you lay off?" he requested in a slightly tight voice.

She blinked from his vexed tone and came back to her senses. "Sorry," she apologized, glancing away. "I just don't understand. How can you even be married to her? She's like thirty years older than you are!"

His broad shoulders shrugged. "Considering the fact that we age pretty slowly now thanks to her, biologically, she and I are roughly the same maturity. Mentally I would say I'm probably older than she is at this point since she is still probably as playful as you remember."

Kim's forehead wrinkled. "You age slowly?"

"Thanks to Amy, Trin, and some of Shin when he wasn't busy blowing himself up. They played around with Shego's DNA and advanced her healing ability by quite a bit. On the way there, they found a way to increase longevity and health. They've done that with us all, as well as a few others."

"So, they get to decide on who lives forever?" Kim's tone still had some bite in it.

"No one lives forever, especially not around here. While we might stay young longer, a bullet kills us just like any other person … well, except Shego. The last time she was shot, it sort of just pissed her off. It's a good thing Bebes don't have feelings," he remarked with a grimace as he recalled how Shego reacted when she was wounded.

"Bebes?"

"Oh, no one told you that the main army that Junior uses is comprised of Bebes?" he asked.

"No, Trin couldn't get past Junior being ruler of the other half of the world with me. I still can't believe it." Kim scoffed. "I mean, Junior? Come on! He didn't even seem to want to be a villain, just going along with his dad."

"Yeah, it's actually a lot more than half the world that he rules. If you look here, this is all of his territory," Wade said and he turned back to the map. He circled an area that to Kim looked about the size of Asia, including Russia. It was massive, even compared to Shego's part of the world, which Kim might say was about half the size of North America.

"Trin was telling me that it's a lot of desert and mountains without clean water," she commented.

"That is correct. His technology is more geared to killing us all where as our technology has been mostly geared toward staying alive, which we know means we need a clean environment. So, we do our best to keep things clean over here while he doesn't seem to care that much about what he's doing to an already crappy environment."

Kim nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

"Right, so, back to the map. The thing that divides us from Junior's 'New Rome' as he calls it, are the Mountains. They're like our version of the Himalayas, but higher and a lot more artificial considering the fact that some crazy bastard actually made a machine that could move land and crash it against each other and make mountains."

"Did all of these crazy people really just show up after I disappeared?" Kim asked in disbelief.

He gave her a wide-eyed expression and shook his head, as if he could not even begin to explain it. "Kim, you wouldn't believe it. I actually still have the database on them. It was like they crawled out from under rocks, like a swarm of insects. Crazy insects. People seemed to think that with you gone, it meant any and everybody could just become a super villain. It was a lot. For a while, the world seemed like a real life, giant version of Gotham City," he remarked.

She laughed a bit. "Still into comic books?"

A smile graced his handsome features. "Only the ones I could save and the ones not wiped out when the internet went down a few years ago. We've got the internet back and slowly but surely we've been putting stuff back up. The internet is only for this side of the world, though, and we try not to put anything really important on it."

"I guess that makes sense, so Junior can't spy on you. I don't get it, though. If he has an army of Bebes, why doesn't he just overwhelm you guys with them? Or is that he only has a limited number?"

"No, he's got ten times more Bebes than we have people, but sending the Bebes over here to destroy us all defeats his purpose. He doesn't want to rule over a dead rock with no other living souls around. He needs people to rule over and we have way more human beings than he has. Not to mention, the people he does have, who are little more than slaves, escape over here every now and then. We have what we call Refugee Island," he said, pointing to a small island just to the south of the middle of the massive continent.

Kim leaned in for a better look at the tiny island. "You keep refugees there?"

"Just until we can get them healthy enough to come to the mainland. Usually, when they arrive, they're frail, sick, and suffering from malnutrition, if they're lucky. It's a hard life here, but it's even harder over there. Once we can get their strength up, they're welcome to settle anywhere they want in Kimber. Many come to Kane, which is Shego's region, because Kane has several cities. Then there's Eden, which is Amy's region, which has great farm land and plenty of open space with animals and plants that refugees just aren't used to seeing because they live in a land that's bleak and barren. Then there's Jannika, which is Trin's region, which is larger island to the south. It's a mix of the two, plenty of towns with lots of trade, but also open land for farming. Most of our produce comes from Jannika, actually."

"Jannika …?" Kim bit her lip. "She combined …"

"Yes, she combined your parents names. Kim, I am so sorry about your parents. They were great …" Wade said and then he was about to continue, but a ringing distracted him. He turned his attention to his wrist kimmunicator. "Sorry, Kim, I need to take this." She nodded as he pressed a button. "Go ahead, Tatsu. What's up?"

"The suit isn't even responding to the computer commands now. What do you want to do?" Tatsu inquired.

Wade frowned and his jaw tensed. "What do you mean it's not even responding to the computer commands? That doesn't make any sense. We wouldn't be able to do anything with it if that's the case."

"Well, that's the case," Tatsu sort of grunted.

Wade sighed and palmed his face for a moment. "I'll be right down. I'm bringing Kim with me."

"Trin-clone is there? Hey, Trin-clone," Tatsu greeted the redhead.

"Hey, Tatsu," Kim replied.

"Yeah, we're coming now," Wade said, ending the communication with the push of a button. Sighing, he shook his head. "I don't believe this. What do we keep doing wrong? Why won't these damn things work?" he grumbled, obviously talking to himself. Then, his dark brown eyes turned to Kim. "I've got to go down to the basement. Want to tag along?"

There was a shrug. "I've got nothing better to do."

"Good. You can see my latest invention with Tatsu and what I'm trying to do with the battle-suits."

"You still make battle-suits?"

A smile lit up his face. "All kinds. Most clothing here are some form of the battle suit to help protect people in case we get randomly attacked. Shego's uniform is a battle suit. A hard core battle suit. Hell, Trin's clothes are battle suits, which are really tricky to make with her style and everything. Even Amy's outfit is something like a battle suit, with her own unique twist thrown in. What's going on the basement is a step beyond, though."

Kim nodded. "I think Monique would've liked designing suits with you. Is Monique alive?"

Wade scratched his head. "Monique's alive as far as I know, but things change from month to month around here. Last I heard, she was inspecting outside islands, seeing if they were fit for inhabiting."

"Sounds like important work."

"It is. We don't mess around here, which takes me back to my suit in the basement. It's like nothing we've done before," he reported and it seemed like he was close to squealing.

A small smile worked its way onto Kim's face because of the excitement in Wade's voice. It reminded her of when he was younger … which, for her, seemed like a week ago. He rushed off and she had to hustle to keep up with him. As they moved, she noticed that not everyone left the area like Wade had ordered, but he did not seem to care. They stared, but did not say anything, so Kim did not say anything.

Taking an elevator down, they came to what looked like a garage, but Wade continued to refer to it as "the basement." Upon entering, Kim was met by sounds that she was certain a person would hear at any mechanic's shop; be it an auto mechanic or a plane mechanic. There were people working on various bits of metal, which Wade ignored, marching forward. Again, as Kim walked by, she noted the stares and whispers.

They had to go through an automatic sliding door and then to another door that required a code. Wade typed it in quickly and then had to give a thumb print before the door slid open. Stepping in side, the first thing that Kim noticed were five armored suits that she thought were large robots, until she noticed that Tatsu had one open. The inside was hollow, clearly waiting for a person to step in and use it.

"Okay, what's the problem?" Wade inquired, standing behind Tatsu, who was sitting on the floor in front of the open suit. She had a small laptop in front of her.

"It's not responding at all," Tatsu answered bluntly, frowning at the blue screen in front of her. It would not surprise Kim if Tatsu smashed the laptop on the floor from the way that she was glaring at the object.

"This thing," Wade growled and Tatsu knew instinctively to pass him the computer. Holding the ten-inch device on one arm, he used his other to type.

Tatsu then turned to regard Kim. "Holding up good?" she asked as she climbed to her feet.

Shrugging, Kim scratched her head. "It's a lot to take in. What do you guys have here?"

"Junk," Tatsu snorted, cutting her eyes at the machine.

"Because it's not working?" Kim guessed.

"It's temperamental," the tan woman replied. Kim was a bit surprised by Tatsu using the word "temperamental," but then she remembered how much time had passed by since she had last spoke to mechanic.

"How so?" Kim asked.

Tatsu shrugged. "Doesn't do what it's supposed to do."

"What about the others?" There were four other suits on the back wall.

Tatsu snorted. "Don't even power on right now."

Kim was hoping that Tatsu would tell her about the suits without much prompting, but it would seem that Tatsu still was not a conversationalist. "Tell me about them," she requested.

"Our Paladin class armor, also known as power-suits. We don't have anything like this, not us and definitely not Junior. Top of the line weapons, if they would only work. The ones on the back are the Comanche, the Celt, the Zulu, and the Qin. They're not online. The one that is, the Toltec, is the prototype and … temperamental." Tatsu sneered in the direction of the armor.

"These are to fight the Bebes?" Kim assumed anyway.

"If we can use these, we definitely would be able to take out the Bebes very easily. But, if we can't get the Toltec to do anything, then they're just expensive, time-consuming statues," Tatsu answered.

"What's wrong with the Toltec?" Kim asked.

"Aside from the fact that it seems to be rejecting all commands and requests, nothing," Wade answered with a scowl. "Tatsu, when did it stop accepting requests?"

"About an hour ago. It stayed online for a while, but wouldn't accept anything, be they requests or commands. I can't bypass any of its firewalls and it's in hibernate mode. Got anything?"

"No. Let's leave it be for a while because it's not doing anything for me either," Wade said, placing the laptop down on a nearby stool.

"So, what do they do?" Kim inquired.

"Ideally, a warrior wears a battle-suit and then steps into the Paladin power-suit. The Paladin then becomes like a second skin for the warrior, a second skin with large guns, an energy blade, and all sorts of other goodies … if we can get them to work," Wade admitted. "We might have flown into the sun on this one." Sighing, he shook his head, as if it would cure his sudden headache.

"So, you mean if a person gets in this thing while wearing a battle-suit, they would be able to control this thing like it's an extension of themselves?" Kim asked, studying the Toltec. The suits reminded her of something, but she was not sure of what yet.

"Pretty much," Wade answered while Tatsu nodded.

Kim suddenly snapped her fingers. "I know now! They look like those suits from those Japanese cartoons you and the tweebs watch!" she realized and Wade blushed a little. His expression let her know that she hit the nail on the head. "They're supposed to look like that, huh?" she asked with a half-smile.

"I can't help that I still think mecha suits are cool!" Wade argued. All of the Paladins looked like a short, stocky mecha suit. The suits were just over ten feet tall, which Kim assumed was enough to take on a Bebe.

"Now if only they would work," Tatsu grumbled, obviously annoyed that things were not going their way.

"It works, but we have to be patient. Let's show Kim some of our other toys while we let the Toltec catch it's breath?" Wade suggested.

Tatsu shrugged and Kim did, too. They all walked off. Kim could only wonder what else Wade and Tatsu had come up with beyond their "temperamental" mecha suits.

-8-8-8-8-

Ryujin marched through the hallway, looking to make his way to Wade's lab. Of course, it could not be that simple. The Obsidian Manor was full of people that wanted to stop and talk to him. Usually, he did not mind, but it was not so that day.

"Hey, Ryujin, I heard that redhead you were with the other day is the Legend," a man said in a whisper, walking along with the ninja. He patted the blond teen on the shoulder as if congratulating him.

"What?" Ryujin said, wondering where that information came from. "Who told you that?" he countered with an arched eyebrow.

"So, it's true?"

Ryujin was not sure if he was supposed to confirm or deny that, so he just kept his mouth shut and hurried away. Of course, that was not the last time that he heard that question. More and more people came over to him, asking him about the Legend and patting him on the back for bringing her in. Ignoring them, he hustled to the lab, only to find that it was empty.

"What?" Ryujin sighed. Scratching his head, he wondered where his uncle was and where the Legend was. "And how the heck does everyone know that was the Legend with me?" he asked the air. "Oh, yeah, there are loads of pictures around of her. I wonder if the Savior really does think that she can keep this quiet."

Of course, he was not sure if Shego was going to try to keep things quiet. He did not make it a point to try to guess what the adults in his life were going to do because they often shocked and surprised him. They were mysteries.

"Speaking of mysteries, where is Uncle Wade?" Ryujin asked. He then decided to just call.

"What's up, Ryujin? I'm a bit busy," Wade informed the teen.

"I was just wondering where you were."

"Basement. But, I'm glad you called because you can do me a favor. Tatsu and I have to do some work."

"What's the favor?" the younger man asked.

"Take Kim to the library. She wants to read up on some of the history and you can help her with that."

"Oh, no problem." That was an easy enough favor.

Ryujin rushed off to the basement, thinking that he might be able to get a peek at what Wade and Tatsu were working on. But, he was totally wrong on that. When he got to the locked door, Tatsu was standing there with Kim. They were talking in a low tone that he could not hear.

"Oh, here Ryujin is," Tatsu said as they turned to him on his approach.

"Hello, ladies," Ryujin greeted them with a bright smile.

"I hear we now have a play date," Kim remarked with a smile of her own.

"Play date?" he echoed, brow wrinkled and eyes searching Kim's face for what she meant.

"Old term. Parents used to make appointments for kids to play with each other," Tatsu explained in her usual clipped manner. Kim was shocked that the mechanic had even answered him, but she reminded herself that no one was as she remembered them.

"Oh …" Ryujin said, even though it was clear from the bewildered look in his eyes that he still did not get it. "Um … ready to go to library?" he asked Kim.

"Yes, please," the redhead answered politely.

"Okay, see you later, Tatsu," Ryujin said, waving to the mechanic.

"Uh-huh, return Trin-clone to her sister whenever she's ready," Tatsu said, giving Kim a wave, which was returned. Tatsu then disappeared back into the locked room.

"Follow me …" Ryujin trailed off because he was not certain what to call her. "Um … do you mind if I call you 'Aunt Kim' or is that too personal?" he inquired.

"Sounds fine. Are you all right with me calling you Ryujin?" she countered.

"It's better than when you were calling me Ron," he remarked with a friendly smile and light laugh, which helped relax his companion.

"Sorry about that," she apologized as they walked off.

"No problem. So, how are things going?"

"Everyone keeps asking me that and I'm not entirely sure how to answer. All of this is overwhelming, so for now, I'm just trying to get information about what I've missed and what's going on. Trin, Wade, and Tatsu filled in some gaps, but some of the stuff they told me doesn't make much sense. So, Wade suggested I go to the library to get the facts from the beginning along with what they were telling me. I figure I'll work my way through history until I get to the present."

"Sounds like a good plan of attack."

"I agree."

As they walked to the library, there were stares and whispers again. Kim tensed a little as the watching and talking led to sly pointing. She could not figure out what was so interesting about her. Surely, the city had newcomers every once and a while, so she could not be that much of an oddity.

Ryuin also noticed the actions of the people that they passed. He knew the rumors going about the Legend being there were the reasons for the activities. He wished that they could be a little more discreet; and by "they" he meant everyone, including himself and Kim. The last thing that they needed was a big thing going on, but it seemed like it was inevitable. At least they would be able to hide out in the library for a few hours, which was thankfully empty for the most part.

The library was not what Kim expected. She was thinking that it would be like the Library of Congress, but it was more like a college library. She wondered if many things had been destroyed in the war that Trin and Wade told her about.

"Where do you want to start?" Ryujin asked, scratching the back of his head as he scanned the library.

"The beginning," she answered.

He smiled and nodded, leading her off to where he thought she would get what she wanted. Coming to a table, he motioned for her to sit down at a table in the corner and then retrieved her a stack of books. He then sat across from her.

"Thank you," she said before cracking open the first book to try to find out what was going on in the world.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: our first taste of Junior.


	9. 8: The Caesars and the Judas

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin and Tatsu. Ryujin and Mirage belongs to YogurthFrost; this story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

8: The Caesars and the Judas

Kim rubbed her eyes as her brain tried to process what she read in books and collections as well as what Ryujin managed to show her on what was left of the internet. It was all so hard to believe and even more difficult to watch. She was able to see the earthquakes that ripped the world apart, along with the tsunamis that swallowed the land whole. Rising sea levels took whatever the tsunamis left behind. So much land was lost and she just could not believe that human beings had actually done it.

There were still islands on earth that could not be inhabited due to pollution, poison, chemicals, and other deadly things that humans had done to each other. The Earth even now had its own "big white spot," similar to the big red spot on Jupiter. There was a tropical storm far to the south that seemed to just keep on going. There were large, active volcanoes almost constantly erupting, making anywhere near them unlivable, but since most of them were located out in the middle of the ocean.

"How can so much change in two decades?" Kim wondered aloud. She scratched her head in confusion and disbelief. _How could we have done this to ourselves?_

"Men are power hungry," Ryujin answered.

Kim nodded because she knew that. Still, she could not help wondering, "How much power can one person want?"

"From a historical standpoint, Junior probably has more land than any other empire in the sense that no other power has ever controlled over half of the world. But, if he looks in a mathematical way in the sense it's really not much compared to other empires because so much of the land is gone. Then there's the fact that there aren't many people in it to exert his will over, so in a sense, he doesn't have much power. Yes, he command hoards of robots, but they're programmed to obey. I guess for him, it's like ruling over an empire of clocks. Yes, they'll tell you what time it is, but that's what they're made to do," Ryujin reasoned.

"I don't understand why you would need to rule over people …" Kim shook her head. It was not something that she ever fathomed, though.

Ryujin nodded. "It's not really something I get either. From his point of view, I can't understand it no matter how much I try to figure it out. I do believe that people need a leader, someone they can depend on to keep order and make sure things run smoothly, but I don't get why someone would want thousands of people bowing down to him and rushing off to do his every command out of fear. I mean, what does it prove?"

"It proves that you can torment someone enough to break their spirit and their will to be an individual. Some people think that's power and they think that's the best thing in the world, showing that they're dominate over others."

The ninja nodded. "Were people like that when you were a hero?"

"People have been like that since the beginning of time," she stated matter-of-factly.

He could not argue that. "What made you … what made you do what you did? Why did you begin fighting crime?"

"It started out as a mistake, but I do like to help, so I was always happy to be of service. It makes me happy to be able to use my talent in all areas to make people's lives better."

A smile settled on his face. "You're like the Savior."

"The Savior?" she asked, having a feeling that she was thinking of a different savior. She had not seen any signs that Christianity still existed, so she doubted that he was referring to Jesus.

"Shego, the Savior. She pulled everyone together and did her best to make other people help by creating this country and creating a good environment for those that just want to live their lives in peace."

"Shego did that?" Kim asked in a voice laced with skepticism. Her expression of pure incredulous did not help.

Ryujin frowned slightly and shook his head, which got the redhead to somewhat straighten out her expression. "Yeah. If it weren't for her, we certainly wouldn't have this country and we wouldn't be able to live free. You missed a lot while you were asleep. I wonder what you would've done before the War started."

"Speaking of the war, is it really called the Dragon Eaters' War?" she asked in disbelief, but from the articles she read and the few newsreels that she had watched, they had referred to the war by that name.

"Yes, that's right. When the bad guys started getting really … outrageous, people started referring to them as Dragons, like in fairy tales. They were larger than life and unstoppable, along with destructive and scary. When they started fighting each other, people began calling it 'dragons eating dragons.' It sort of turned into the name of the war when they all started seriously battling each other."

"Dragons …" Kim shook her head. She closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed her forehead. "One of the accounts said that Trin had her own group called 'Fire Breathers.'"

There was a nod. "Aunt Trin doesn't talk much about it. But, from what I can understand, the group was different from the Dragons, but the way that they helped was not …" he searched his mind for the right word, but could not come up with anything. "Aunt Trin always says she's not a good group leader, especially after her mother died. Even to this day, she only cares about those who are close to her and everyone else is just there. So, when she was fighting Dragons, most of the time she couldn't get into it beyond it was something that you would want her to do."

It was Kim's turn to nod. "That sounds like Trin."

"Speaking of Aunt Trin, I might want to get you back to her. She worries, even though no one would guess it."

"Trin's somewhat the same."

"I'm sure it's the somewhat part that worries you," he commented with a somewhat sorrowful pout. It seemed that he worried about Trin, too. He always thought that something horrible must have happened to his blond aunt for her be so apathetic toward the world.

"It does. I haven't seen her interact with many people, but the few that I have, she actually treats them like objects. They're there to do something for her and that's it. I would have expected Shego to be like that."

"The Savior has much more of a sense of humor," Ryujin declared, smiling a bit.

"I can't believe you actually call her that."

"Have you found out what we call you?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

Kim could not help gulping. "Wha …?" she inquired in a low tone.

"It's nothing bad. Everyone around here calls you 'The Legend.' We've seen clips and heard stories about how amazing you were. We were told that one of the reasons the war started was because all of the Dragons assumed you were dead. You had to be incredible," Ryujin explained. _If only she was still incredible…_

The redhead was not sure what to say, so she did not say anything. They departed the library and Ryujin walked Kim to Trin's apartment. On the way, there was the usual whispers and stares that Kim was starting to believe was not a negative thing or even because she was new to the city. _Maybe they recognized her in some way_. She was not sure how she felt about that.

-8-8-8-8-

Ryujin wanted to slap himself in the head for assuming that he could calmly walk back Shego's chambers. It took him all of ten seconds to realize his mistake as he ran into one of the Guards in the Manor. He would have continued on walking, but the Guard got right in his face.

"Ryujin, sir, I heard you actually brought the Legend back along with defeating the Swamp Monster! You are amazing!" the young man said. There was awe and envy in his eyes as a grin threatened to split his face open.

"Uh … thank you …" Ryujin muttered for lack of a better response. He then quickly hurried off, only to find himself stopped again before he was even a foot away from the Guard.

"If it isn't the hero himself!" a man called with a grin. Ryujin recognized him as a member of the army, which was beyond weird for him because the soldiers were not generally kind to him.

Acting quickly, Ryujin threw down a smoke bomb and was gone before it cleared. A sigh of relief escaped as he made it to the throne room. Shego was lounging in her chair, emerald eyes watching as if she expected him to appear in that very spot.

"Ten seconds later than I figured you'd be," Shego said dully, turning back to some papers that were in front of her.

"You do know that everyone knows I brought in the Legend and they're actually calling me a hero over it," Ryujin pointed out.

"Hear that, Shadow Hand? The kid's a hero," Shego chuckled. Her ninja bodyguard did not acknowledge that, preferring to pretend that Ryujin had no clue he was there.

"These are the same people that make fun of me for not blowing up Bebes on the battlefield!" Ryujin continued, throwing his hands up in disbelief.

"Shadow Hand," Shego said. The ninja sighed and stepped out from his hiding place.

"Calm down, Ryujin. This is not the way for a proper ninja to behave," Shadow Hand scolded the teen.

"I know, but c'mon! I mean, these guys hate me and now all of a sudden I'm great because I brought in the Legend, who isn't even that great?" Ryujin's face twisted as he tried to come to terms with that.

"So … Shadow Hand … anything on that before I hit the kid?" Shego remarked, doing her best to sound playful. Inside, her gut clenched a little, not enjoying anyone, even Ryujin, speaking negatively about Kim.

Shadow Hand grunted before placing his hand on Ryujin's shoulder. A couple of pats and the boy was calm. Shego feigned as if she was taking in the documents in front of her, but they both knew that she paying them close attention.

"People are fickle creatures, especially when they're not trained. You shouldn't let their fickleness bother you," Shadow Hand informed the blond teen. Shego cleared her throat, getting both of them to glance at her. Shadow Hand sighed. "And you probably shouldn't question Kim's abilities in front of the Savior … or your aunt Trin … or your uncle Wade, but especially those first two."

"Yes, sir," Ryujin replied, straightening up.

"So, crazy moment over, what do you have to report aside from the fact that everyone and their fat cousin knows the Legend is around here?" Shego inquired.

"Nothing much. We spent the day in the library. She's having trouble wrapping her mind around the war and how much time has past since she was last awake," Ryujin reported.

Shego nodded. "Sounds about right. We can barely wrap our minds around it and we live this mess every day and have for the past twenty-plus years. I think her being in the library is good for her …" There was a moment of silence. "Has she said anything about … her stay here?" Shego hoped that did not sound as awkward to them as it did to her. Of course, it did, but the ninjas did not address it.

"Not really. I think she's still in shock over it. She doesn't seem to understand why you're in charge. I tried explaining, but she just doesn't get it."

"That'll probably take a while, kid. I doubt she'll be able to get that I'm not a Dragon until her memories come back."

"She didn't even know what a Dragon was," Ryujin informed the pair.

"Yeah, well, the term meant something totally different the last time she was awake, kid. You have to remember, this whole war didn't exist when she was last awake."

"I know, I know. It's just difficult dealing with someone who has absolutely no clue as to what's going on. It seems surreal for someone to not know about the war. But, I did have a good time talking to her in the library today," he admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, she's smart and funny. She's still somewhat guarded around me, but there were many glimpses of the person you, Aunt Trin, and Uncle Wade told me about," the teen stated with an emphatic nod.

"We don't lie, kid. Like I said, give Kim a chance. You never know, she might live up to being the Legend," Shego replied.

Shaking his head, the young man laughed a bit. "Weren't you the one just telling me that people don't often live up to such lofty expectations?" he joked.

"Yeah, but this is Kim Possible, kid. Haven't you heard, she can do anything?" Shego teased.

Ryujin scoffed, not dignifying that with a response. Beyond the fact that his Uncle Wade had said the same thing to him a few months ago, he had heard the saying plenty of times. It was one of the things that made Kim "the Legend." It was just hard to swallow after meeting her and seeing her struggle to stand on her own two feet for a long time.

"Carry on with your assignment, kid," Shego stated, roughly dismissing the blond.

"Now?" he inquired, wondering if that meant he had to somehow get invited to dinner with his aunts.

"No, not now, but it's an on-going thing. I'll let everyone that matters know what you're doing, so this way, they know to call you first and foremost if she's going to be out of their sights," Shego informed the teen.

"Yes, ma'am." Saluting, Ryujin was gone in a puff of white smoke.

"I don't appreciate you using his talents as a babysitter," Shadow Hand commented.

"Well, I don't recall asking your opinion on the matter," Shego countered dully, eyes on her work now and honestly not paying her bodyguard any mind.

"He's a member of my ninja clan. I have domain over him."

"Yeah, but your ninja clan is part of my country, which I have domain over. So, I think I trump you. Don't worry, if something serious happens, he'll be ready and he'll be back under your command. For the moment, though, nothing is happening and I need someone to watch Kim. I think it'll do her some good and him some good. For her, it's an almost familiar presence and for him it's a friend that won't call him names because he wouldn't complete annihilate a robot."

Grunting, he looked off at the distant wall. "Why do you care anyway? She hates you."

"But, I don't hate her. Besides, she doesn't remember. I'm sure things will change once she does."

"Optimism doesn't suit you, Shego."

A half-smirk formed on her lips. "But, if I wasn't an optimist, I would've given this up a long time ago. After all, logically, Junior has us dead to rights. He could send in a billion Bebes and devour us, but we still fight. I still stand and you still stand behind me. So, I guess that makes us all optimists."

There was another grunt. "I liked you better when your main philosophy in life involved sun, swimsuits, and massages."

"I liked me better, too, then," she remarked with a smile.

"Smart ass. I think we need to be on guard. Junior is bound to know that Ryujin was in the Sea of Despair and if he heard about Ryujin defeating Gill, he might suspect that we're actually going on the offense."

"He knows we're not stupid enough to invade his Neo-Roma," Shego paused to roll her eyes at the name. "Just saying that out loud makes me want to gag a little. I feel like I lose IQ points just letting it escape my mouth. He might be on alert, though, if the people heard and there's an exodus of any kind from his country, though. Keep an ear and an eye out. I'll put Wade on mid-alert."

"Isn't Wade always on mid-alert?"

"Yeah, so when I call him, he changes it to high-alert, which is mid-alert for him. I've learned that his max-alert is my 'holy shit, we're all gonna die' alert," she quipped. Shadow Hand shook his head at her antics. She continued to smile. "You have got to get a sense of humor or you're going to die young … for us anyway."

"I don't see anything funny about this."

"There isn't anything funny about it, but this is life and you have to smile in life or you're just going to stress yourself out. But, I'm not your mother, so I won't lecture you on it," she said, waving him off. She then stood and began walking without bothering to say anything further to him.

Shadow Hand knew where she was going; she had a meeting with some members of the food distribution board to make sure every place was getting what they needed to survive. He knew her schedule backwards and forwards and he followed her, like always. And, even though she did not look back, she knew he was there, like always.

-8-8-8-8-

"Report, Mirage."

"Yes, sir. Several days ago, the young hero Ryujin left on an assignment to the Sea of Despair. He defeated a beast known as the Monster of the Swamp, also known as Gill. I'll transfer any data on it that I can, but I am still in the process of collecting useful information. He returned to the Obsidian Manor some days ago with a redheaded girl known as Kim Possible, also known as The Legend. Since then, I have been gathering data on this person and I will transfer it after this transmission. From what I gather, she is some sort of meta-human or demi-god. The joy and almost rapture makes me assume that she is some sort of messiah. She is practically worshipped by the people here and because of that, it's hard for me to ascertain what is myth and what is reality …"

"I can assure you that I know what is myth and reality with that one."

"Sir?"

"Never mind it, Mirage. Carry on with your assignment. Report in as scheduled."

"Yes, sir."

The communication was cut and the screen went blank. Senor Senior Junior folded his tanned hands in front of him and leaned forward on his massive ivory desk. His large shoulders rose and fell calmly as he thought on the situation. A frown tore through his remarkably smooth face.

"So, Kim Possible is back and is fighting with that traitorous bitch Shego," Junior growled. "One woman cannot possibly overcome my army and stop my plans. But, this is Kim Possible. I may want to proceed with caution until I can be certain what sort of threat she is, if she is a threat all," he muttered. He then turned his attention to his computer screen. "Contact Doctor Drakken," he commanded.

"Contacting Doctor Drakken," the screen replied in a mechanical female voice.

Moments later, an ancient blue figure with a long face appeared on screen. "What can I do for you, my emperor?" Drakken asked, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone. Twenty years and he still could not help resenting that Junior was succeeding at what he had failed at some many times—world conquest and domination.

Now, he was SSJ's second in command, which meant that he wielded great power. It was just not enough for him. Long ago, Shego told him that nothing would never be enough for him, but he was unable to test her theory. Instead, he was second in command to a person he used to believe was a spoiled brat and wanted dead by someone that he used to think of as a member of his family. It sometimes skipped his mind that he had once tried to harm Shego.

"Doctor Drakken, please, correct me if I am wrong on this, but I recall you telling me many times that Kim Possible is dead," SSJ stated calmly, staring at the hunched over scientist.

"She is," Drakken confirmed. "I killed her," he boasted with a proud grin on his long, usually sour face. It was his first, but most satisfying assassination. It had taken him a while to actually say the word "killed," but he now liked everyone to know that he had killed Kim Possible. It was his greatest achievement. Well, he would probably consider it his second greatest achievement.

"Then why is Mirage reporting to me that she is alive and staying with our very own Brutus?" the leader demanded.

"Alive? That robot probably has her circuits crossed. That what happens when you let robot design to cheerleaders," Drakken sniffed. His aged face twisted into a sneer.

SSJ did not look amused. The intense glare from his sapphire eyes caused his second-in-command to squirm briefly. "I recall a cheerleader used to make you look like a fool on a daily basis, so I wouldn't count them out. Besides, that woman is far from a cheerleader. We have the most brilliant mind in robotics on our side and it isn't you, Doctor. Show the woman some respect," he hissed, only because he knew that it would irk Drakken to no end.

The beady black eyes of the elderly doctor glanced away for a long moment. When he turned back, his face was grim and set firm. "Kim Possible is dead," he stated in a stern, sure tone.

"Mirage is currently sending me data that points to the contrary. Kim Possible alive and she's with Shego," SSJ retorted, frowning deeply.

"I don't believe it!"

"Well, your belief in something doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Now, for all of these years, Drakken, you have been boasting that you were the man that killed Kim Possible. She doesn't seem to be killed, though. What happened?" SSJ demanded.

"I killed her!" the elderly man bellowed.

Junior scowled and then took a calming breath. "Doctor Drakken, explain to me how you killed Kim Possible and then I will find out how exactly she managed to come back from the dead. If Shego has such technology, we could be in some trouble after all." Of course, he doubted that Shego figured out how to raise the dead, but he was aware that Drakken was once less than competent in all areas of villainy.

"Not one of those Knights are smart enough to pull something like that off. Kim Possible was trapped by me and then swallowed by molten lava. There's no way that she lived through it."

"Trapped by you how?" the emperor pressed.

"I had created a ray gun that trapped her in mineral substance that could not be broken and then the floor of my lair opened up and she was swallowed by lava. She was gone. She is gone," Drakken insisted.

There was a curt nod. "Fine. She is dead, let's say. But, why has Mirage sent me images of a girl that looks very much like Kim Possible? Could it be a clone?"

Drakken snorted. "I doubt it. The _Traitor_ was always against cloning and mind control, so I doubt she would ever do that."

Junior nodded. "Yes, Shego always did have some morals that just wouldn't have matched this lifestyle. So, again, why am I receiving images of a girl that looks much like Kim Possible?"

"It could be a ruse," the blue male replied.

"Why now then? I'll have Mirage do a bio scan on her and we'll find out if this the true Kim Possible and then we'll proceed from on how to handle this."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Drakken replied, waving the whole thing off. "But, if it worries you so much, I will have Adam on standby."

"Yes, make sure he is ready just in case."

SSJ ended the call without another word. Sighing, he ran his tanned fingers through his mostly ebony hair; there was a blotch of white in the middle front that went almost to the center of his head. He then put his elbows up and then leaned against his hands.

"I'm sure this is something more than a ruse as Drakken thinks and it could destroy all of my plans. I must confirm this is Kim Possible and then I will proceed from there," the emperor decided.

So, he put in orders for Mirage to confirm that the Kim Possible that was wandering around Shego's country was actually _the_ Kim Possible. It did not take Mirage long to send back bio scans confirming that the redhead was Kim Possible. Unfortunately, she was not able to get him any other information; apparently, anything involving Kim was considered extra-top-secret. The news got a scowl out of Junior.

"This could complicate matters. How is it that Shego has Kim Possible? Could Kim be a factor in this war? Maybe I should crush them before I find out, but who knows what Shego could be up to. Why are they hiding so much information about Kim, anyway? It has to be beyond a secret if Mirage cannot get any information on her beyond a scan that she could've done walking by Kim," Junior muttered to himself. He found that speaking aloud helped keep him calm, which he had come to understand was the best way to be, especially when fighting against Shego.

He did not like this. He did not like what Kim Possible represented, what she brought to the table, and the mystery behind how she could suddenly show up after twenty-plus years of being dead. He doubted that she was hiding and now decided to reveal herself. _No, Shego must have done something_.

"Could she possibly have the technology to bring people back from the dead or is there something I'm missing? But, the more important question is: will Kim be any sort of factor in this fight? She used to be damn near invincible. If she's still the same, she could turn this whole thing around. I won't have my position threatened by a child," Junior stated.

Leaning back in his chair, SSJ thought on the different ways to approach things and get information. He settled on one way because he had planned on doing it anyway. Shego had been up to something lately and he had wanted to find out, so he had waited while to give her time to things together. But, now, he was going to push to see what she had up her sleeve. If things went according to plan, not only would he know what she was up to, but he would be able to collect quite a few subjects for his emperor.

-8-8-8-8-

"Damn, I think we're going to be light on food this year," Shego frowned, flipping through a folder. "I've got to see Amy and Trin about getting more gows out there … and I have to tell Amy to stop unnecessarily combining animals to make me say stupid words like 'gow.' Is it too much to have a goat and a cow without them sharing the same body?" she grumbled, speaking to herself, even though there were people in the conference room with her.

No one answered her, which was the wise thing to do. It was best to let Shego rant her frustrations out and then throw out ideas once she was done with being annoyed. That time around, they did not get their chance because the meeting was interrupted.

Shadow Hand put his finger to his ear, obviously trying to clearly hear a communication. He then leaned down to be on level with Shego. He began whispering in her ear.

"Shit!" Shego hissed and abruptly stood up. "This meeting is going to have to wait. Everyone make sure you get to shelter. We have a situation and even though it's by the borders, you never know what that slimy bastard Junior will do," she ordered everyone before rushing out of the room.

"Wade said it looks like Junior is targeting one of the refugee islands right off of the coast by the border. It's technically in our territory," Shadow Hand reported.

"Even if it wasn't, that asshole knows I'm not going to let him take those people off of that island just so he can enslave them for the five years that they would remain alive in his Neo Roma," Shego growled.

"Mobilize the troops?" he guessed.

"Of course and tell the kid to make sure Kimmie's somewhere safe. Time to go to war," Shego declared.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: time for battle.


	10. 9: Berserkers

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin and Shin. Ryujin and Mirage belongs to YogurthFrost; this story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

9: Berserkers

Ryujin was sitting with Kim when he was contacted about the situation involving Junior's forces making moves toward one of the refugee islands. Thankfully, the call came to an earpiece that he wore instead of to his open kimmunicator. When the communication ended, he noticed a pair of intense olive eyes on him and for a brief moment he could believe that he was in the presence of a true legend.

The look in her eyes was like those of an invincible demi-god. He actually felt slight shiver of fear, as if she could see the truth without him having to speak a word of it. Making things more incredible was the fact that Kim did not look away when he met her eyes. She continued staring, like his own intensity was nothing compared to her own.

"Something going on?" Kim asked.

"Nothing too serious. Just a normal day at the office around here. Come, we have to be going," Ryujin replied, doing his best to act as if everything was as calm as they had been in the past few days.

"Where are we going?" Kim inquired.

"I'm going to take you some place safe. Aunt Trin and Shego should be there just to make sure you're secure," he explained quickly.

Kim was not sure what he meant, but she followed him out of the room anyway. Of course, she followed him with a slightly suspicious glint in her eye, which he ignored as best he could. He had to assure himself that she could not read minds.

Walking down the hallway, she noted that everyone seemed to be moving a little brisker than they usually did. Obviously something was up, but she could not figure out what. She decided to hold her questions, knowing how Ryujin felt when she started getting specific in her curiosity. She would ask Trin what was going on.

"What's the sitch?" Kim asked as soon as they arrived at the small, comfortable sitting room. Trin, Wade, and Shego were already there and waiting.

Shego glanced at Trin, figuring it was safer if the blond did the talking when it came to Kim. Trin nodded and stepped over to her sister. Kim tensed a bit, especially when Trin put a hand on her shoulder. She was still getting used to the touchy-feely Trin.

"Something wrong?" Kim inquired.

"We have to go to battle right now and we all think it's in your best interest to stay behind," Trin stated bluntly. She did not see the point and did not have the time to sugar coat the message, which was essentially, "Kim, you can't come and help."

"Stay behind? Why would I want to do that?" Kim asked with an expression of twisted confusion.

"It's not about what you want to do. It's about what's in your best interest. You're still far from top shape and you've never been to war, Kim. It isn't pretty," Trin replied in a grim tone.

"You're saying I can't handle it?" Kim demanded. The affronted frown that conquered her features was something quite new to everyone in the room.

"Yes," Trin said, completely composed and almost cold. She did not care how she was coming across. She just wanted Kim to know that she needed to stay behind. "We're going to have someone escort you back to your room. Stay there until one of us comes and gets you," the blond ordered.

"Don't move," Shego added in a menacing tone with a heated glare. Blue eyes looked back at her, silently scolding her for opening her mouth, before turning back to Kim. The redhead bristled and stood just a little sharper than before.

"Don't challenge Shego right now by trying to prove her or me wrong. You won't be able to handle the battle," Trin tried to assure her sister.

"You don't know that," Kim argued in a heated tone. She glared at both the blond Possible and Shego.

"I do know that. I've seen the medical examine results, after all. So, stay here and don't try to be a hero just yet," Trin commanded, pointing down at the floor.

"Or again," Shego grumbled, earning glares from both Possible women now.

Trin decided to cut the conversation short before Shego challenged Kim any further. Pointing to the ground again, she silently reinforced her command of where her sister needed to remain. After that, farewells were said to Kim and the group made hasty exits.

"What the hell was that about?" Trin demanded from their leader. She slapped Shego in the shoulder.

"What?" Shego asked in an almost frivolous manner.

"Do you want her to follow us? Is that it? You want her sneaking out onto that battlefield and seeing just what's going on?"

"No, which is why I told her to stay behind," Shego argued.

"Shego, Kim is not one of your subjects nor is she a part of your inner circle. She still thinks of you as Shego, Drakken's sidekick. She isn't going to take kindly to being ordered around by you. We'll be lucky if she doesn't find someway to see what's going on and then blame us for all of this," Trin pointed out.

"She wouldn't dare! Wade and Ryu have been making sure she's up to date on who did what in the War," Shego motioned to the two aforementioned men.

"Honestly, she still seems a bit confused on what's going on. Her mind really hasn't completely wrapped around the whole idea of the world being totally different and devastated. She might not see this as we'd like her to see it," Wade informed the green-skinned woman.

"You mean to tell me that Kim would side with Junior over us in this shit?" Shego asked incredulously.

"No, but she might not be as willing to believe that we're trying to do the right thing. That _you're_ trying to do the right thing," he answered.

Shego sucked her teeth. "Damn it all. Battle stations!" she called, if only to end the discussion. The group quickly broke apart on that note.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim could hear all of the clangor outside of the room, figuring that everyone was rushing off to fight. The sound of heavy boots marching by the door gave her what she felt was a brilliant idea. Going to the door and watching as uniformed soldiers marched by, she slipped out and began swiftly lifting pieces from soldiers as they went by. By the time each soldier realized a piece of the uniform, Kim had already vanished from their line of sight.

"Who's not in top shape?" Kim remarked with a proud smile, hiding behind a corner and dressing in the soldier uniform of tan fatigues. Now, all she had to do was find a line of troops to hide in and she would be on her way. It was not hard to do and she found that claiming that she was new stopped any and all questions about why they had never seen her before. She guessed that they had a lot of new soldiers coming in.

Kim ended up transport on a plane that flew out moments after she found a unit to hide in. The trip was mostly quiet with many of the soldiers checking their gear. Guns and rifles were everywhere with huge clips and Kim could only wonder the caliber of the bullets.

"Something like that could tear through a truck, forget about a human," Kim muttered to herself, taking in sight of the largest hand-held firearm she had ever seen.

"Damn, Terwin, is that the newest model?" a soldier inquired, nodding toward the weapon.

"It is. I just got assigned it yesterday. Load told me that if I break it, he'll break my skull." The statement was made with a laugh.

"You're testing it?"

"Glad to be a guinea pig, especially if this shit does what Load said it would do. Put those damn Legions in their place. Fucking hive of bitches."

"Let's just hope the Bebes haven't been updated."

"Shit, we're screwed then."

That thought halted any further conversation and more efforts went into checking equipment. Kim was sure that one of the soldiers actually turned white. Glancing around, she noticed how much they were sweating already and she knew it had nothing to do with the amount of equipment they were carrying around or the heat of the packed aircraft.

"Get ready for the drop!" With that, Kim was sure several others went pale and a couple of guys even threw up. One man even started to cry. Kim felt like it was D-day.

-8-8-8-8-

"Wade, give us a visual and update us all on the situation," Shego commanded through her communication device. She was having a conference call with all of her major generals; Wade, DNAmy, Trin, and Shadow Hand. They were flying into the situation on separate aircrafts with their own specialized units.

"Shadow Hand ninjas should be arriving first. They're handling the western block, where most of the Bebes appeared and where we've been housing the sick and injured refugees. It seems that they're burning the medical buildings, as always," Wade reported. It took a lot to not sneer because of Junior's cowardly tactics.

"Give me new news then, Wade," Shego ordered, biting back her own sneer. Even at her lowest, she had never gone after sick or injured people.

"The Bebes are rampaging through the new arrivals also instead of taking them captive. The eastern part of the island looks like a fog of poison gas," Wade informed her.

"Trin," Shego said.

"I'm on it."

"Amy, take the Rhinos and hit the western part of the island. I want the Ninjas to have a way to get any survivors out of there!" Shego barked. "Northern end of the island?"

"Bebes are pushing through there, destroying the villages and rounding up prisoners. Anyone in no shape to move, it looks like they're being killed right away. Most of the people seem to have already been wiped out," Wade answered, sending the latest images to every general.

"Shit, what the fuck is Junior playing at, killing almost everyone?" Shego wondered aloud. "I'll dive-bomb the north with Shadow Hand. Try to save as many as we can and we'll force the Bebes to middle and converge on them there. Axillary troops are on the way?"

"Of course. The plane should be landing in less than two minutes. Do I have the south then?"

"Yes, and make sure you use the communications tower to try to cut off the Bebes contact with the East's electronics."

"I know how to do my job, Shego."

"Then do it!"

"You want me to use the Axillary?"

"I want you to take as many as you need and then send the rest to the fucking sick bay. It's a bunch of kids over there for God sakes! What the hell is Junior thinking?"

"Maybe he just wants to rattle us and you have to admit, it's working."

"He's a goddamn monster," Shego snarled.

Wade did not argue that point and the communication was ended. Everyone went to their tasks. Shego turned her attention to Shadow Hand.

"Ready to waste some Bebes?" Shego inquired with a smirk.

"I take no pleasure in killing anything, Shego," Shadow Hand replied.

"And yet I don't see you taking it easy on any Bebe we've ever come across."

"The greater good always keeps me going. And how do you sleep at night?" he countered.

"Dreams of a lovely redhead and I don't consider Bebes alive," she answered almost smugly.

Shadow Hand snorted before he and Shego leaped carefree from the hovercraft that they had been sitting in. Shego ignited her hands while her bodyguard vanished from her sight. The sounds and smell of the battle hit Shego before anything else. It always smelled like blood, sweat, and tears to her. Those things ate away at her insides worse than anything a Bebe could do to her.

Spotting a large group of her targets, Shego purposely landed in the center of the carnage and the Bebes. The explosion that Shego caused on impact blew the machines away. Dust and smoke covered the air, but as it cleared, Shego stood without a mark on her, poised and ready for war.

"I think you ladies are at the wrong address," Shego remarked with a confident smirk.

The one thing that Shego disliked about battling Bebes was that there was no witty banter exchange. The lack of chitchat pushed her belief that Bebes were not alive, despite the fact that some on her own side, like Shadow Hand, might argue otherwise. She was not sure why some thought Bebes were alive and she did not care to hear the argument.

"Target: Shego," one Bebe noted.

"Objective—" another started, but Shego finished it.

"Destroy. I know the story. Come and get it," the Western ruler dared them, waving them on. She would take them apart piece by piece for the destruction they wrought on the small village of mostly infirmed. The scent of burning medication seared her nose and fires that were feet away tore at her mind.

The Bebes took her up on her offer, trying to converge on her. Shego crossed her arms and then flung her limbs down, throwing huge, plasma crescents from her forearms. The beams were like solar blades, cutting through several Bebes like a laser through milk. The resulting explosions kicked up more dust, which did not seem to bother Shego, even as she inhaled it. All of her focus was on the Bebes and she flung more plasma crescents, taking down more robots. Of course, those who were not touched, kept on coming.

"Oh, come on, ladies, I know you don't think it'll be that easy," Shego said, leaping into the air just as Shadow Hand tossed eight small, explosive devices at the Bebes. As the dust settled, Shego stood back to back with her bodyguard. "Come on, you have to admit that this is just a little exhilarating."

"I'm not here for you to goad, Shego. You're a little more playful than usual," he commented. "I wonder why that is."

"Don't start with me if you don't want me to start with you."

"Then how about we focus on the problem at hand and get these fucking things out of here before any more innocent lives are lost?" he proposed.

Shego silently agreed with that and turned her wrath completely on the Bebes. Talking was done and various-sized shrapnel burned through the air. Shadow Hand avoided what he could while Shego did not bother. By the time they turned back to each other, Shego had gashes all along her face. The odor of her blood covered up the scent that came from the innocents for her.

As the Bebes continued on, the battle became more intense and hotter. The field was covered in smoke and dust. Every element seemed to hammer against Shego and her bodyguard, but it only made them fight harder.

"They don't seem to be stopping," Shadow Hand noted.

"Then time to step it up a notch," Shego remarked, spinning sharply and taking the head off of a Bebe. She held the disembodied head in her hands and gazed into the glowing eyes of the robot. "You listening, Junior? Yeah, of course, you are. I don't know what your game is this time, bitch, but you're not going to win. You're not winning, not now, not ever." She proceeded to crush the head with her bare hands. "I refuse to ever let things end like they did before," she declared.

Shadow Hand watched as Shego took to the battle with new vigor. He made sure to have her back covered … and her front when she was too busy shredding the enemy. It seemed that the pressure had reversed and the pair seemed to repeal any and everything against them.

-8-8-8-8-

"Poison gas. It just had to be poison gas on some of the most fertile land I was able to produce," Trin sighed, calmly assessing the situation from a distance. She held a kimmunicator in her hand, watching the data that rapidly shot by.

She could feel the burn of the chemicals, even from what she deemed a "safe" distance. She knew that her men could feel it, too, but they ignored it just as she did. The poison scratched at her throat and sinuses.

"Sir, what do you want us to do?" a soldier asked.

"Watch my back as always, Captain. What else do I ever want you to do?" she countered. Honestly, she was not sure why Shego even gave her a unit considering how "well" she worked with others. "As always, I'll signal when it's time for you to move in," she added. She did need to teach them to handle chemical messes in case something happened to her, after all.

"Sir!" He saluted.

Trin put a pair of streamlined goggles over her eyes and a sleek yellow mask over the lower half of her face, covering her nose and mouth. As she started walking off, a ninja appeared next to her. They both strolled into the maelstrom of deadly gas. The burn intensified with each step that they took and it almost felt like sharp pins and knives were licking at their flesh.

"I didn't think Shadow Hand Ninjas were assigned to chemical messes," Trin commented dully. Her voice sounded scratchy to her own ears thanks to the chemicals. She could only imagine how she sounded something through the comm line.

"Oh, come on! We all know I'm really like co-General of the Chemical Corps!" Shin declared and she could tell that he was grinning from the sound of his voice, even though he was covered in black from head to toe. She also noted that he was already holding in a cough.

"Co-general? If there were such a thing, I assure you, you'd be the last person considered for the position," Trin stated.

"Uh-huh. You know you love me. So, what's the plan here?"

"Same as always. Find the chemical makeup of the gas, put together a quick counter mix, slice Bebes in half, try not to die in the process, and then lecture my crew step by step on what to do if next time we fail at the not dying part."

"I love how simple it always is! I really need to get on this clean up committee!"

"You call my squad the clean up anything again and I swear I will leave you here to the Bebes."

"Touchy!"

Trin ignored her best friend and took out her kimmunicator again, getting a more accurate reading of the gas cloud's complete chemical makeup. Unfortunately for her, the reading was never instantaneous and a Bebe decided to make its presence known. Trin barely got out of the way as the robot charged by her, nearly taking her head off.

"Shit, that was closer than I like," Trin admitted as several strands of her hair floated to the ground. The blond locks actually dissolved seconds after they touched down.

"Join the club!" Shin commented while ducking a Bebe and removing his sword from the sheath. The next Bebe that went by him was quickly bisected at the waist. The sparks from the metals colliding actually caught fire in the air. " Whoa! That was awesome! So, anyway, how are those reading going?" he inquired casually. The whole atmosphere felt thicker now that the Bebes were around and the chemical cloud was already crushing.

"If you were so worried about your own hide, you should've stayed with your own squad instead of bothering me," Trin replied, slipping by one Bebe and ducking another. She made sure to keep an eye on the monitor for the chemicals while pulling her own sword.

"It's so much more fun going out with your clean up crew!" He was grinning again as the sound of their weapons against the Bebes shredded their ears.

Trin growled, but did not say anything more to him in reference to her command's name. In an ideal world, her squad would be nothing more than a group of science nerds, like herself, who looked microscopes, read charts all day, dropped liquids into test tubes, and be respected for their scientific advancements. But, it was not an ideal world and even though science was what kept most people alive, her squad did not get much respect and were looked at as the "clean up crew" for chemical, biological, and other messy types of warfare that Junior every now and then decided to whimsically use.

"So, what's turning our lungs to goo?" Shin asked again. He was unable to keep the cough at bay that time.

"Our lungs would be lucky if they come out as goo. We're going to have to be self-contained for a month after we get out of here," Trin replied with a snort. The chemicals that she and Shin, as well as a good portion of the island, were covered in were just the type of thing that she expected from Junior. The land was ruined for months now more than likely and it was needed to grow food for the refugees that stayed on the island as well as food for any nearby villages on the mainland.

"Always with the messy jobs. Got a solution yet?"

"I do. While the chemicals are extremely toxic, it's also something we could put together in our sleep. Buy me a moment and then run like hell. It's going to be an inferno here."

Shin nodded, expecting as much. It was never a dull moment with the "clean up crew," after all. He kept the Bebes away from Trin as she dug into her bag of tricks, which was basically a portable chemistry lab. He did not wait for her to do anything more than that, cutting through Bebes in order to get the hell away from the area. As much he acted like he was suicidal, he was far from ready to die.

"Trin!" he called when he noticed that she was not fleeing beside him. He did not dare turn around, though. She would never stop nagging him if he went back for her after she told him to run like hell.

-8-8-8-8-

Bebes were swarming the sick bay as far as Ryujin could tell. It was like a plague of locusts feeding on the area, complete with a buzzing noise that the robots seemed to give off like other electronic devices. The Shadow Hand Ninjas were tearing through the robots like they were insects, though. It was just that they never seemed to stop coming.

The air quickly filled with dust, choking the ninjas as they tried to beat back the throng. Immense heat added to that as the ninjas bodies worked up sweats and pressed into each other whenever a Bebe managed to knock them back. In the back of their minds, some wondered if they had entered Hell and if the air itself would be their downfall.

"Is there like a point of origin or something that we might be able to locate?" Ryujin asked, speaking to Wade through his kimmunicator while dispatching a Bebe by hitting it with a small magnetic device that disrupted its circuitry. The device only paused the Bebe, though, and Ryujin guessed that meant the weak point had been moved yet again. He would have to locate what part of the Bebe to hit with his magnets if he wanted to avoid destroying them.

"Never mind point of origin! Just keep taking them down!" a ninja ordered, darting passed Ryujin. It was amazing that Ryujin heard him, even if they were speaking through kimmunicator links. The screams of the innocent, the explosions, the torturing grind of metal twisting, and, of course, the blaring wails of soldiers taken too soon from the Earth should have drowned out everything, but they did for Shego's forces, especially the Shadow Hand ninjas.

"I can't locate the source that they're coming from. They have their stealth modes on until the last moment. Our priority isn't to stop the Bebes yet. Right now, it's just about getting everyone alive to safety," Wade informed the young man.

"Well, that would be a lot easier if we could stop the flood of Bebes. This is an uphill climb otherwise," Ryujin argued while fighting off another Bebe and hitting it with a magnet. He easily found the new weak point and made sure to aim any of his other magnets there.

"Agreed, but I'm working on cutting off their orders now and keeping them out of contact with the Hive. I'll get to the source after that."

Ryujin did not bother to object; everyone had their orders to follow and there was a reason they all had the orders. It was the best way to finish the battle and hopefully weaken Junior just a little more. So, he followed his orders.

Running off, Ryujin went to find any survivors of the onslaught, cutting down Bebes as he moved. While most of the Ninjas, and soldiers in general, went for overkill when they fought against the Bebes, Ryujin was not one of those. His sword took off limbs, disabling the robots. Sometimes, he would use devices that short-circuited the Bebes, but that was the extent of how far he would go. He had never in his life ruined the head or torso of an enemy, even a Bebe.

"How are we supposed to get out of here with any of the injured if we can't stop the Bebes from hitting us like freaking tidal waves!" Ryujin wondered aloud. The Bebes were crashing against them like tsunamis on a cliff face.

"Amy's coming in with the rhinophants. They'll make a hole for us!" a ninja informed him.

"Even still."

"We have backup on the way. We'll just hand over the injured to the grunts and then go back to ripping these Bebes a new one!"

Ryujin did not argue with that and merely went on to dismantle Bebes while keeping an eye out for the injured or sick. His sword cried out as it cut through metal of more and more Bebes. He was almost certain that he was going to be buried in them and smothered by them until their backup arrived; the "grunts" as the auxiliary forces were teasingly called. Wade used to refer to them as the "red shirts," which Ryujin did not understand, but he knew that Wade stopped using the name when Shego and Amy got on his case about it.

The "grunts" were all about their big guns and using them to utterly destroy their enemies. Bullets and lasers were flying everywhere and Ryujin changed his focus from the Bebe problem to finding survivors and getting them out alive. The last thing they needed was a refugee actually killed by friendly fire.

Chaos reigned over the whole island and the area seemed to be engulfed in fury. Sensory information for most was overloaded and many people that were not accustomed to full battle shut down. It seemed like because of the battle, there were no senses because there was too much going on. Most of the soldiers could only bring their attention to their orders and most average people could only focus on trying to get away from the carnage.

Locating all of the people that he could, Ryujin rushed to find the Rhinos, so that they could get the people to safety. He was joined in search by the other ninja on the planet that wore pink and black—his aunt. She had her own large group of survivors.

"Shadow Eyes, have you see or heard the Rhinos yet?" Ryujin inquired.

"They're up ahead. As long as we get this group about a hundred more yards, they'll be on the backs of those Rhinos and heading some place a lot safer than here," his aunt replied.

"The sad thing is that this was supposed to be one of the safest places on the planet," he sighed, shaking his head. It now looked like any other wretched island on their damned planet.

"We can't do anything about Junior being a psycho, other than stop him when he tries to kill and enslave the world."

It was true and for all of their security measures, they could not prevent a Bebe attack whenever the whim overtook their enemy. They did not have the manpower or technology to do such a thing. It just pissed Ryujin off.

"There are the Rhinos," Shadow Eyes pointed ahead of them as monster-sized rhinos, or rhinophants as Amy had dubbed them when she created them. They were the size of elephants with rhino horns, elephant tusks, and rhino shape. There were large baskets on their backs to hold people and thick armor to protect the animals from Bebe attacks.

"Now, we have to get everyone up there," he said.

"That's always the fun part," she replied, her onyx eyes sparkling.

He could not help chuckling as his aunt took off with a survivor in each arm and one of her back. He did the same and they leaped to the top of the Rhino, securing the refugees in the riding basket. Gently tapping the Rhino on the head, Ryujin ordered the creature to go to safety. The ninja then departed, having to repeat the task several times, even with the help of their fellow ninjas. They also had to fend off Bebes, which kept on coming.

Without exchanging any words, the ninjas moved to set up the most effective method of getting people to safety. A group of the stealthy warriors stood against the Bebes while the fastest amongst them carried the innocents to the rhinos. The noise was more than enough to make even the strongest soul falter, but the smell of heat, animals, and fear was even worse. Watching comrades fall as they stood against unfeeling foes was the worst, but none of the ninjas backed down, meeting their challenge with proud smiles on their faces.

With the rescue almost complete, Ryujin focused on the grunts. He was about to call for a retreat, but Wade contacted him first and told him where the Bebes were originating. The Shadow Hand Ninjas and the Auxiliary forces decided that they would head to the southern coastline as soon as they done there.

As they were battling back the Bebes, a familiar flash of red hair caught Ryujin's attention. He probably would not have thought much of it if only the body that hair belonged to was not trapped under a fallen tree right after he noticed. Turning his attention, he saw a Bebe closing in on the Legend and sprang into action.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim could not believe the level of carnage around her as soon as she joined the battle, which was fairly late considering she did not know what to make of what the troops had stepped into. She could not identify anything and her mind did not know where to start. Broken bodies, shattered dreams, and bleeding earth filled her eyes and all she could do was move forward.

She doubted that she had been in the battle for a full minute before shrapnel tore into her leg and a tree was downed almost completely on top of her. Her protective helmet was knocked off and she got a gash on her forehead from when she hit the hot, smoldering ground. Looking up, she noticed a flash of silver coming toward her and knew that it was a Bebe. _I'm done for before I've even been awake for a week!_

Fighting the urge to close her eyes, Kim tried to get up, but found the pain in her leg too great. Well, now she knew where most of the shrapnel had hit her. Just as she was certain that she was done for, a figure in all white dashed in and sliced right through the Bebe. The figured then landed in front of her.

"You okay, Aunt Kim?" Ryujin inquired, turning to look at her.

"Fine. My leg … I was hit …" Kim replied, wanting to justify why she was down while everyone else was up and fighting.

"We've got to get you out of here before something worse happens," he said, leaning down to gently help Kim up. He could see that it was more than her leg, trying to assess the number and nature of her wounds. He failed to notice two familiar onyx eyes watching him. If he had, he would have known that the twinkle in those eyes only meant trouble.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the consequences of Kim's actions.


	11. 10: Fall of a Legend

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin and Tatsu. Ryujin and Mirage belongs to YogurthFrost; this story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but for some reason, I couldn't log in all day.

10: Fall of a Legend

"What the fuck were you thinking? We told you to stay here! Why the hell didn't you just listen? Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn? I mean, did you seriously think that your own sister was lying to you about the situation? Or that Wade would back her play if she was fucking lying?" Shego roared as she paced in front of Kim, who was sitting in Trin's examination room and getting her wounds tended to.

The Western ruler's hands were flying wildly about her. Her features were beyond tense and every time she made it fist, it seemed that she might tear into her palms with her own nails because of how tightly she held her hands. Her eyes flashed, blazing like her plasma, as she tried to focus on Kim, but found her eyes kept wandering after a few seconds.

"Really, mini-me, that was bordering on fucking stupid. I told you to stay here," Trin stated in a low voice as she stitched the gashes in Kim's leg where pieces of metal and wood had tore through her flesh. Her voice was tight and her body was rigid enough to pummel stones if they were cast at her.

"I'm not a child, you know!" Kim huffed, not appreciating that she was being chewed out … especially in front of an audience.

Trin and Shego were doing most of the talking, but Wade, Ryujin, Shadow Hand, and Shin were all present. Amy had been there, but decided it was not her place to listen to crew tear into Kim and the scientist knew that she would not help because she would just defend the redhead. The rest of the group would have probably had simultaneous aneurisms if that happened.

"You're acting like one! We fucking told you to stay behind because it's dangerous out there!" Shego thundered, flinging her arms wildly again.

"It's not the same world you knew, Kimmie," Trin stated, giving her younger sister a severe glower.

"I know what I'm doing! I could've helped!" Kim argued.

Shadow Hand stepped up and for a moment, Shego and Trin thought that he might defend Kim. Of course, he would not say anything that they did not already know and it would not stop them from jumping on his case as soon as they were done with her. He surprised them, though.

"You didn't help, though. Instead, you put yourself, those troops, and Ryujin at risk. You could've cost him his life. You could've cost many people their lives out there, trying to play hero," Shadow Hand grunted.

"Hey, I had it under control!" Ryujin argued, rather insulted that Kim's miscalculation was being reflected on him. "I'm not so easy to put down that I can't save one person and watch my own back!"

"I didn't need saving!" Kim shrieked indignantly. She was Kim Possible! No one saved her; she saved others!

"The wounds on your legs say otherwise and the fact that a Bebe was looming over you when Ryu got to you screams that you're lucky to be alive," Trin informed her younger sibling.

"I could've handled it!" Kim barked. Now, she was glaring at Trin and everyone around that seemed to doubt her.

"Oh, you mean how you handled it?" Shego countered in a much louder and harsher tone.

"What does it even matter to you! What are you even doing here? Leave me alone!" Kim huffed and planned to storm out of the room. Of course, the fact that her sister was still working on her wounds made that plan all but impossible.

"Stay," Trin ordered in a stern voice that kept Kim frozen in place.

"Listen, you might not believe it, but you're still frail and if we tell you to do something, you fucking do it and don't ask questions about it!" Shego commanded, pointing at the redhead before storming off. Shadow Hand followed her out.

"You don't tell me what to do!" Kim screamed at Shego's retreating form.

"She might not, but I do. If I tell you that you're not in any shape to do something like this and I tell you to stay here, you do it," Trin stated. "You don't know what's going on around here, even if you read up on it, even if you see clips of it, and even if you interview people about it. You have no serious clue as to what's going on around the world. Even if you did have a clue, you're not at top physical condition and we still don't know the complete story as to what is going on with your brain. What if you had fallen while you were out there? You could have damaged your brain severely and who knows what that could have meant. Are you trying to hurt yourself more?"

"I was trying to help! That's what I do!"

"Not right now!" Trin roared, surprising everyone in the room, including herself. Taking a deep breath, she was able to calm herself. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and normal. "You're not ready for combat. Your body isn't ready and all you're going to do is make matters worse if you don't listen to me. This isn't just your overprotective older sister talking, but your doctor. You're only going to make matters worse by trying to be a hero when your body is in no shape for it."

"And when will I be in shape for it?" Kim asked quietly.

"Slowly, but surely you are getting better, but you have to give yourself time. And, I do mean time. Not a couple of days, not even a couple of weeks, but months. Take it easy for a couple of weeks and then we can move on to some light training, but you can't expect to come out of what you did and hit the ground running. That's just not going to happen."

"Kim, please, listen to Trin. She's the best doctor we have around here. If she says you're not ready, then you're not ready," Wade chimed in. His smooth face was drawn in and his eyes glistened as if there were tears there. Even though he was not about to cry, it was clear that he was frightened for the redhead.

"Can't you do something?" Kim asked, a look of despair and desperation in her gaze.

"Give yourself and us some time. We'll look out for you, Kimmie, and get you back to normal, but you have to give us time and you have to trust us," Trin implored.

"I do trust you."

"Then you have to take it easy and you can't do things without thinking about the consequences. You could've died today. Your body and mind weren't up for this challenge."

Kim nodded sullenly. "When do you think I could at least start working out?"

"Give yourself a few days. We'll heal your gashes and then you can start working out," Trin replied. "And you're all done," she added once she finished caring for the wounds. "Ryu, could you take your aunt to get something to eat while I speak with Wade?"

"Sure thing, Aunt Trin. Come on, Aunt Kim, we'll eat in your apartment to make sure no one accidentally hits your wounds. I had it happen to me once and almost hit the ceiling right after," Ryujin commented, waving Kim out of the room.

The redhead sighed and followed the teenager out. She tried her best not to walk out limping, but the tears in her leg were too much for her to bear. She hissed in pain the first few steps she took, but remained as dignified as she possibly could while leaving the area. Trin turned her attention to Wade.

"What do you want to do?" Wade inquired.

"I think that in order to treat Kim and at least get her body caught up to where she would like it to be, I should develop a different form of our green serum," Trin said.

"Different?"

"Well, usually, we use it on refugees to clean and repair the damage done to them from living in Neo Roma, but Kim isn't polluted, only weakened. Her body has a different sort of damage to it. But, I should be able to develop a serum to help her. I just need the nanotechnology to help repair any damage left over."

Wade groaned. "Trin, you know I don't like to use the technology for that. The green serum should be enough."

"And if it isn't?"

"If it isn't, then we'll talk about the nanotechnology, but until then, we won't be having that discussion. You don't even know how Kim would react to having little machines crawling around inside of her."

"I'm sure she'd take it a lot easier than knowing that she has medicine developed from Shego's blood inside of her," Trin countered.

Wade conceded that with a glance to the ceiling. "Touché. But, knowing how you operate, she'll never know that, will she?"

"Well, if she can get past all of the scientific jargon, which we both know she can and probably will, she'll still have to look up much of what I would say and that would buy some time. Even if she does get upset …"

Wade cut in. "Try 'will get upset' because we both know that she will."

"Of course, but by then it will not matter. It'll be there and even if she refuses any follow up treatments, one should be enough to help her recover just a little faster."

"Are you sure you want to do this with her, even though she has possible brain injuries?" he inquired.

"The serum has been used to treat even brain injuries."

"But, doesn't that take a certain type?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Wade, I'm surprised by you. You are calling into question so many of my skills right now. You're questioning me as a sister, doctor, and scientist. Are you sure you want to continue do this road?" she dared him with a leveled glare.

He laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck apprehensively. "I'm just nervous, Trin. I still can't believe Kim is back and to almost lose her because she's still as foolhardy as I remember is blowing my mind all the more. With Kim back, it's almost like my childhood was real and not something I imagined to make it through the Hell that Junior has turned the world into. I feel like if we lose her again, then somehow we lose everything good and pleasant, be they real or imaginary."

Blond hair barely moved as Trin nodded. "You shouldn't put that sort of pressure on her. Regardless of Kim's status, the past was real. We will have pleasant memories again one day."

Sighing, Wade shook his head. "Sometimes, it feels like we do the same thing everyday and nothing ever changes."

"Things will change."

Wade only nodded, but it was hard to believe that things would change when Trin said them in the same bland, blasé manner that she always did. But, then again, Trin could be reporting that she killed a man or that she just cured cancer and it would always come out the same. There had never been much humanity in her as far as he could tell, but the war had devoured all but a small sliver of whatever had been there.

Of course, the war had taken pieces of him too. He just did not like to think about it. It was why he liked to think of his idealistic youth spend with helping Kim as some wonderful dream. The kid from back then could not be the man he was now. Not the man who developed weapons to kill, not the man who sometimes got so angry that he could put his hand through a wall, and not the man who refused to have children and pass on his genius. One of the things he had always looked forward to was having kids and tinkering around with machines with them, but that would never happen. Not while Junior was still alive.

"Wade, stop thinking about it," Trin ordered, knowing where his mind was wondering.

"How do you do that?" he inquired.

"You always look down at your feet when you let things start to get to you. Things will be better. Go visit your wife. I have work to do."

Wade nodded, happy to be dismissed. He should go see Amy since he had only seen her briefly after the battle. She was all right and encouraged him to stay with Kim. Now, it was time to stay with her.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim stared at the ceiling in her bedroom. Her leg was throbbing, but her pride was hurting more. She had been worthless in that battle and then she had been scolded like a child in front of so many people after embarrassing herself beyond belief. She was mortified, thinking about how Ryujin had saved her. **HER**! Someone who probably could not even shave yet had saved Kim Possible.

Her internal tirade was cut short as she heard her apartment door open and close. She tensed briefly until she had the low voices of Trin and Wade speaking with each other. She assumed they were coming to check up on her.

"Just when I managed to get rid of Ryujin by pretending to be tired," Kim grumbled to herself.

Deciding to employ the same practice here, Kim feigned being asleep. She heard the door to the room open and she suspected her sister and friend looked in on her, but they did not stick around. The door was eased closed and Kim was alone again.

"What is this place that I'm in? It's like being trapped in some horrible alternative universe," Kim muttered with a frown.

The redhead could scarcely comprehend what was going on. _How could I have failed so miserably?_ She was a hero. She helped people, yet when she arrived on the scene, she instantly failed and could have made things much worse. She could have gotten killed or Ryujin could have gotten killed when he moved to save her.

Twisting and turning in her bed, her mind refused to shut off, going over her mistakes of the day. Her brain replayed the reprimands over and over. She could feel the burning in her leg where the shrapnel had devoured her skin and it felt like it had taken her soul with it.

"Crap!" Kim growled, throwing her blankets off of her and getting up from bed.

Getting dressed as quickly as she could, Kim exited her apartment and walked off down the hall, not knowing where she was going. She ended up at one of the few places that she could get to from memory—the library.

Finding the place open was like a blessing to Kim and she sighed in relief as she crossed the threshold into the empty, dimly lit area. She went directly to a computer and sat down to educate herself, not just on the war and the politics of the times, but on the people around her. In her mind, everyone was still family, friends, or, in Shego's case, enemy. There had to be more to them all now; they had twenty years to grow and change, after all.

There were some news articles available, but it seemed that everyone that she knew avoided the attention when possible. It seemed like something that they would do. All except for Ron anyway, who she thought would have eaten up the attention, but there was no mention of him. She could not find anything on Ron Stoppable. It seemed as if her best friend had vanished off of the face of the Earth. She was mentioned more through the years than Ron was and she _had_ vanished.

"Maybe he's dead too," Kim considered. "No, why would Trin tell me Mom, Dad, and Uncle Slim are dead, but not tell me about Ron. But, if he's not dead, where is he? Was he buried with me? Maybe they're still looking for him and Trin doesn't want to get my hopes up …"

Her train of thought was interrupted as she came across battle video footage. Unable to help herself, she needed to see what other battlefields looked like and if she could find those that she knew among the carnage. Watching the video was rough, but not as much as it had been to be out there. The video seemed almost like television, even though she knew it was real.

Studying the shots, she was able to fleetingly spy those that she knew and the scenes that she saw left her breathless. Trin worked with a ninja who could only be Shin as if they were actually one being, cutting down anything in their paths with swords and powders that Kim suspected to be deadly to both Bebes and humans. Wade was not in many shots, but when he showed up, he was always armed to the teeth. Speaking of teeth, she got coverage of Amy, who could morph into animals and used that power to decimate their enemies. The ninjas were the toughest to spot, even Ryujin with his white uniform. There was only one way for her to describe everything that she was seeing: amazing.

"How are they all so good?" she wondered and then she saw the most incredible footage of all—Shego.

It was almost as if Shego had evolved into a different sort of creature altogether. The way she moved on the video was different from what Kim recalled. Hell, the way that she stood was different and definitely the uses of her powers were different. Shego was like an entirely new, and completely dangerous as far as Kim was concerned, type of creature.

"How am I supposed to stand up or stand with them if they're all like this and I can barely walk without feeling winded?" Kim wondered.

Unable to view anymore, Kim pushed away from the desk and fled into the night. Wandering, fleeing from her thoughts, she easily lost her way. It did not matter to her, though. She just needed something to do before she felt overwhelmed by everything around her.

"What can I do if this is reality? How can I help?" she pondered. While everything might have been strange and crazy, she still expected to be of some kind of assistance. There was no way in Hell that she was just going to shrink away and stay trapped behind the mansion walls.

External voices pulled Kim from her thoughts and she took note of her surroundings. She saw that she was in one of the many gardens. She ducked out of sight as a group of four men in uniforms approached. They were members of the mansion Guard from what she could tell, but they were doing more chitchatting than anything else.

"So, anyway, about the battle today. Either of you got enlisted to go?"

"Nah, they had enough people and the Elect had it under control anyway. The Savior took care of things. I heard something funny happened out there, though."

"Funny like how?"

"Well, apparently, those rumors going around about the Legend being back are true. You know that big mouth ninja that knew the Legend when she was little saw her."

"No way!"

"Totally saw her on the battlefield. The Legend's been back for days now and they're just trying to keep on the low because apparently, the Legend isn't as great as her legend makes her sound. Shadow Eyes was telling it all and she basically said the Legend was a huge flop. She was injured on the battlefield in like three seconds. She's a wimp and our parents made her up!"

"No way!"

"I swear to you I'm not making this up. After the big mouth went on and on about what happened on the battlefield, I went to check where all the Elects were and they were down in the Doc's medical ward. All of them. They don't even all go if one of _them_ is hurt. Anyway, I went to check in with the Guards down there and they said a fiery redhead had been carried in by that cream puff Ryujin. She was bleeding and screaming about how he needed to put her down and she could take care of herself and all of this other crap. The Guard said they'd probably have to chop her leg off because of the wound. In other words, the Legend is lame!"

"I heard something about that, like she completely sucks in combat."

"Wow, that is lame. The Legend was supposed to be the ultimate warrior. The only one that could best the Savior. I always thought that the advent of the Legend would be the end of the war. But, she shows up and she's lame? That does suck."

"She's lame. Everyone says so."

Kim was out of her hiding spot quickly, ready to show those guys who was really lame, but as soon as she was out, there was a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see that Trin and Wade were standing there; Trin was the holding onto her shoulder. Wade had his attention on the Guards, who were all standing at attention.

"You guys do a lot of gossiping while you're supposed to be protecting the most important area in the land of Kimber. Maybe I should have you transferred some place where talking won't get in the way of your jobs," Wade commented. "DNAmy has mentioned needing new test subjects. You can talk all you want in the Zoo." All of the color drained from the Guards' faces.

"Wade, I think you might have found the perfect jobs for them if the look on their faces expresses their feelings on the matter," Trin stated.

"Well, then, I suppose you and Amy have more to discuss in the Zoo now."

"Sir, please, don't!" one of the Guards begged.

"Why not? You obviously don't think much of your status as royal guards. You'd be more useful in the Zoo. Or are you the type that flaunt your Guard status and look down on those in the Zoo?" Wade challenged them with an arched eyebrow.

Their eyes went to Trin for a long moment before one of them found the courage to answer. "All members of the land of Kimber are important to Life and to the Struggle."

"Is that so? Yet, you were just downing a member of Kimber. Two actually. I think I heard two. Trin?" Wade asked.

"You heard correct," the blond confirmed.

"Carry on, Guards. You'll get your new assignments in the morning," Wade informed them and they hurried off. Wade and Trin then turned their attention to the silent redhead.

"What are you doing out here at this time of night? You're supposed to be resting and not walking around on your wounded leg," Trin told her sister while motioning to the aforementioned limb.

"I needed to clear my head. And I could have handled that myself, you know?" Kim huffed and she folded her arms across her chest.

"Fighting with them, be it physically or verbally, wouldn't have done you any good. You don't need to get worked up. You need rest. You asked me when you could start exercising and it'll be never if you keep this up. I understand what those boys said was out of line and you would have put them in their place if you could, but you can't. You can't expect yourself to be totally fine after all you've been through. You can't do what you used to right after being frozen for twenty-three years," Trin said.

"And even if I could, I couldn't keep up with you all anyway, right?" Kim snapped, pulling away from the older Possible.

"What do you mean?" Wade asked, stepping closer to Kim.

"I know how good you guys are! I've seen the coverage! You guys are … you're amazing! I wouldn't be able to keep up with you if I was at the top of my game!" Kim hollered, rubbing her forehead.

"Kimmie, calm down!" Trin growled, reaching out for her sister. Kim dodged the contact.

"What good am I to anyone now! My body is weak, my brain is screwed up, and I don't even know what's going on! I don't even know how old I really am!" Kim screamed, tears flooding her eyes and pouring down her cheeks. "What good am I?" she whispered.

"You're perfectly fine, mini-me. Perfectly fine. You need to give yourself time. Will you please just give yourself time?" Trin implored the younger woman.

"She's right, Kim. You seem to think that you should wake up from a coma feeling as if everything is fine, but that's not true. Do you have any clue how lucky you are?" Wade inquired.

"What do you mean?" the redhead asked.

"Come on, Kim. Your mom was a neurosurgeon. You know what could've happened to your brain and body from being frozen in place and buried under the Earth's crust for over twenty years. You know you came out of this as best as anyone could expect and you know you did it because you have a willpower that's indefinable. You are an extraordinary human being. I think that's why you're expecting so much from yourself in such a short period of time. Be reasonable," Wade begged.

"Mini-me, even if what those idiots said stung, I promise you that you're a hero to a thousand times them. You are such an inspiration and just you being here gives people hope that they haven't had in a long time. So, there is never a time when you aren't good enough. Never," Trin insisted.

Kim sighed and nodded. "You're both right. I just need time …"

"You need time and rest," Trin added.

"And to take care of yourself," Wade chimed in. "So, let us take you home."

The redhead nodded again and followed the pair to get back to her apartment. Part of her knew that they were right, but she still could not help thinking that those Guards were right, too. She had been useless in the battle. She could not stand for anything if she could not stand on her own, she believed. She needed to get better. Now.

-8-8-8-8-

"The Legend was spotted on the battlefield and according to many sources injured immediately. Label: not a threat."

"Hmm … not a threat. Kim Possible, not a threat. Seems hard to believe, but you did say that she was wounded?" Junior asked.

"Immediately. I've heard it from an eye witness and another who confirmed the story by screaming at the eye witness about how she has a big mouth."

"Why wasn't she killed then?" he asked.

"She was rescued by the ninja known as Ryujin. He was able to pick her up as soon as she had fallen and get her off of the battlefield unscathed. Rumors have been going around that she was not supposed to attend the battle and sneaked out against the wishes of the Enemy."

Junior was momentarily silent. "I have reviewed the images that I was able to gather from the Bebes and agree with your assessment. Kim Possible is not a threat, but continue to keep an eye on her and all of the other so-called Elect. Contact me whenever necessary to crush them."

"Yes, sir."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end of the first array.


	12. 11: Second skin

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin and Tatsu. Ryujin and Mirage belongs to YogurthFrost; this story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

11: Second skin

The ceiling was the same as it was when she left it the first time, Kim noted. Of course, that was how it should have been. If the ceiling had changed, then there would be a problem of some kind, either with her mind or with the fact that someone was messing around in her apartment.

"Am I seriously thinking about this? I'm out of my head with boredom," Kim decided, tearing herself out of the bed.

Dragging her body, she made it to a shower, even though she felt like she did not need it. She had taken a shower last night before bed, but it was something to do. She always needed something to do. She had been trying her best to be patient with herself, but it was hard, especially since everyone else around her was doing something.

"This place is like New York. They never sleep," she grumbled as she went to get something to eat.

She noticed a few days ago that the place was always on the move and there were people always around. The few people that she knew were always doing something. Trin, Wade, Shin, and Tatsu visited her every now and then. She knew they were mostly checking on her, wanting to make sure her injuries were healing properly. Of course, that bothered her, especially since she felt like she should not have been injured in the first place.

Making matters worse, she was stricken by the fact that she had not seen her cousin, Joss, yet. Beyond that was the fact that she did not know where her brothers were or where Ron was and that caused her constant pain. She could barely take solace in the knowledge that they were alive because she did not know anything beyond that. Her mind was working in overtime thanks to the tedium of being trapped in a strange land with almost no answers of what was going on and almost everything that she thought of disturbed her in some manner.

"And the answers that I do have only confuse me more than ever before. I don't know what to think," Kim groaned, putting her hand to her forehead. She massaged her head briefly.

She was distracted from her wandering thoughts by a knock at the door. Shuffling out to the foyer, she checked the peep-hole and saw that Ryujin was standing out in the hall. Sighing, she leaned her head against the door briefly before opening the door.

"Hey, Aunt Kim!" Ryujin greeted her with a very familiar grin.

"Hey, Ryujin. Look, if you don't mind, I'd rather be left alone," Kim said.

"Are you sure? If you're upset because everyone yelled at you—" He was not able to finish the sentence.

"That's not it," she cut him off. She glared at him slightly, but fixed her expression quickly.

"Is it about the Guards? I heard Uncle Wade and Aunt Trin talking about it. You know you shouldn't worry about the Guards. The soldiers are the biggest gossips around here," Ryujin informed her. Of course, he failed to include that he could understand why the soldiers were bad-mouthing her, considering her miserable attempt at helping on the battlefield. But, he could also empathize with her as they talked about him all the time, too.

"It's not that either. Please, just leave," she implored him.

"Aunt Kim—"

"Just leave me alone," she growled and rudely slammed the door in the blond ninja's face.

Making sure the door was secure, even though she knew Ryujin could get in if he wanted to, she dragged herself back to her bed. Curling into her blankets, she wished that she could just go back to sleep in the crystal that she had been trapped in. _I want to go home_.

-8-8-8-8-

Ryujin stared at the door momentarily, stunned that a door was actually just slammed in his face. It was a first. A first that he extremely disliked.

"I was only trying to help," he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and marching away with a long face.

He could understand that Kim was frustrated, but that did not give her the right to treat him so discourteously. He was just trying to be nice to her, after all. Not like many other people around the city would give her the time of day, especially after what happened during the battle.

"Ryu?"

The sound of his name caused him to look up and he noticed Jess standing before him. She was holding some folders, pressing them tightly to her chest and staring at him as if she were conducting a study. He offered her an awkward smile.

"Hey, Jess," he muttered with a weak wave.

"Hey yourself. Are you okay? You look a little lost," she noted, stepping closer to him. Her dark eyes remained locked on him.

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about … my friend." In truth, he was worried about Kim, even if he was a little upset with her. It was not healthy to stay cooped up in her apartment, sulking and thinking about everything that she did wrong.

"What friend?" she asked curiously. Her eyes seemed to shine with concern, even though there seemed to be something a little more than that in her voice.

He smiled a bit. "A new friend. Kim. You met her a while ago."

"Oh, yes, I recall. The redhead," she replied. She glanced away for a moment before turning back to his smiling face.

"You have a good memory."

"Nearly photographic," she boasted with an impish smile. "So, what's wrong with your friend?"

"Everything as far as I can tell. She's lost and doesn't understand what's going on around here. She tried to help, but totally screwed it up and now most people think that she's weak."

Jess nodded. "It can be a little overwhelming here at first."

He blinked several times. "Really?"

"Of course!" she laughed lightly; it sounded like sweet music to her companion. "Is she a refugee?"

"Uh … yes, I suppose she is," he answered as truthfully as he could.

"Well, this place is definitely overwhelming. I know that from first hand experience."

"Why do you say that?"

She paused for a moment, just to take in a low breath. "Here, you learn that life has a color. Green."

"Green?" He rubbed his head and tried to figure out what she meant.

Smiling brightly, she nodded. "Yes, life is green."

"You mean the Savior?" he asked curiously.

"No, silly boy. Life is green because that's what color the grass is, the leaves are, and so many other things. In the East, everything is gray. It's like the world has been washed too many times and is completely dreary."

Ryujin nodded. "But, I still don't understand why life would be green."

"Life is green just as power is yellow."

"Why is power yellow?"

"The sun is powerful and it is yellow," she explained as if that made total sense. "In Neo Roma, you don't often see the sun. You don't realize or recognize the power that it does have. In Neo Roma, our Emperor is supreme. He is power."

"Ah. Okay, that one makes sense to me. I didn't know you escaped Neo Roma," he commented.

"I was lucky. My family escaped when I was young and then we came to live in the village until the emperor took that from us, too. Not to mention, he took what little family I had left apparently. But, he will never take away from me the knowledge that life is green," she replied with another small smile.

He scratched his head. "I still don't think that life should be green. I mean, water gives life too and it's blue."

"Fine, the rainbow is life," she conceded.

"All right. Any other colors in your outlook on life?" he inquired quite seriously, even though he was smiling. It was a gracious expression.

Nodding, she shyly ran a hand through her short, golden mane and ducked her eyes. "White is the color of hope."

"White?" he echoed, scratching his head. "Why white?" he asked. He wondered if it had something to do with the Savior's skin tone. Many people that did not see her up close mistook her complexion for white, even though she was of a green pallor.

"You really don't know, do you?" she countered with a smile, giving him a sidelong glance.

"You mean the Savior?"

"Again, I don't mean the Savior. Maybe one day you'll figure it out," she remarked, continuing to smile. He could not help smiling back, even though he had no clue what she was talking about.

"So …" He was not sure what to say, but he did not want to end the conversation just yet. "Oh, can I take these papers for you, so you don't have to burden yourself with them?" he offered.

She giggled. "I can handle them."

"Please, it would be my honor," he insisted, holding his arms out for the bundle. She happily deposited the pile in his waiting hands.

"Thank you."

"So, you're working now?" he asked as she started walking, needing to deliver the files that she had been carrying.

"Yes, but this is my last run and then I'm free for the day."

He nodded. "You data people have great working days then," he commented.

"I think they figured out that it's best for morale for people to be able to set the pace of the day, so instead of working a certain amount of hours, we have a set amount of work to do. If you do it quickly, you get to be free to go about your day as you please. I thankfully worked very quickly today."

"Why thankfully?"

"Why it was due to the fact that I was on my last bundle that I was able to run into you."

Ryujin blushed from those words. His mind had completely forgotten about Kim, which was fine. He had no clue what to do about the so-called Legend anyway.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim decided that she felt trapped in her apartment and escaped before the walls closed in on her. Yes, she was certain that had she stayed in that apartment, it would have crushed her and left no trace of her. _Much like being frozen has done_, she thought.

Tearing into the hallway, she stumbled and fell against the wall. With wide eyes, she realized that she was panicking and quickly began to take calming breaths. Once she was sure that she was fine, she started walking. There was no particular destination in mind, but she needed to clear her head.

Wandering with her head down, Kim tried not to let her thoughts drown her like they did in the apartment, but they came flooding back. How useless she was now, how she had no idea what was going on in the world, and how things had come about. She did not even have all of her memories. She did not even know what happened to her brothers, including Ron! _Hell, my parents died and I can't even recall the last time that I saw them!_

"Whoa!" a familiar voice caught Kim's attention and olive eyes looked up. Apparently, she had nearly mowed Tatsu over.

"Sorry, Tatsu," Kim grumbled.

"No harm done. Where you headed, Trin-clone?" Tatsu asked.

Kim shrugged. "Nowhere special or important."

The older woman nodded, putting her hand to her chin briefly. "How about you walk with me for a while? I got work to get to, but the walk over sucks."

"You sure? You never seemed much for company," Kim recalled.

"Still not, but I think it'll do us both some good."

The redhead nodded and decided to go along. "What do you mean by that?"

"You look lost. You wanna talk about it?"

"I am lost. This place … I don't even know how to begin comprehending it," Kim confessed.

Tatsu scratched the back of her head, mussing her short ebony locks. "It's a lot to take in. You'll adjust. You're good like that."

Kim smiled slightly, feeling somewhat better at the vote of confidence. "Hey, can I ask you some … personal questions?"

"Like what?"

"Like when did you marry Trin?"

"Like ten years ago. Something like that. Usually, people ask why I married her, not when," Tatsu commented, chuckling somewhat.

"Why? Why would they ask that?"

"You probably haven't noticed, but Trin is … much more emotionally detached than she used to be," Tatsu answered.

"She was always somewhat emotionally detached. My parents assumed it was from her being bullied and an irrational fear that they were going to leave her in a mall like her birth mother did. Actually, I thought she seemed better now. I mean, she's hugged me more now than she had when we were younger."

"Because she hasn't seen you in twenty-plus years and she had nightmares of your death ever since you vanished. Other than you, Trin shows little regard for other human beings, which is why she backed Shego as leader. If Trin were in charge, she would have simply blown Neo Roma to bits with every piece of tech we had and not cared about the thousands of people that she killed in the process."

"Is she really that cold?"

"Not so much cold, but impersonal. People might as well be background to her."

"How long has she been like this?"

"Since your father passed. He was holding her together after your mother was killed, but no one could hold her together when James died."

"Not even you?" Kim asked.

"I couldn't change what she become."

"Is she emotionally detached with you?"

Tatsu scratched her head again. "Our relationship is not what it once was, not how you would remember it."

"Have you ever considered leaving her?"

"Never. I love her. While she might not be the same person she once was, she's still the woman I love. She still loves me. We get along as best we can and care for each other. Underneath it all, I know she's struggling and one day she'll get it together."

"Has she ever asked our brothers for help? I mean, she could've leaned on Tim and Jim."

"Not likely."

"Why do you say that? Do you know where my brothers are?"

"No, and that's the main point. Trin doesn't know where they are either, so she can't lean on them and they can't lean on her. They contact her every couple of months to let her know that they're all right. Most of the time, she tries to trace the call, but they scramble the signal and she can never do it. So, for now, she just hopes they're still alive in between calls."

"That has to be torture to her," Kim said. While her sister had never cared for people, she was very much interested in her family, idolizing her parents and caring for her younger siblings. Kim had inherited those feelings from her sister and she could hardly stand wondering if the twins were alive for a few days. She could not fathom going for months at a time and not knowing. "Why are they so secretive? Why not just tell Trin where they are?"

"I dunno more than a couple of reasons. One being saying your location over any line around here could lead to you being discovered and killed. You never know what's bugged or who's a spy. There's even rumors going around about Bebes being able to camouflage themselves and take on other people's identities. So, it's risky."

Kim nodded. "And the other reason?" she inquired with a craned eyebrow.

"They don't agree with Trin backing Shego. They think that once the war is over, Shego's just going to crown herself empress of the world."

"Now that makes sense. I don't see why Trin wouldn't agree with that," Kim argued.

"She's fought along side Shego for a long time. She knows Shego better than most. If she believes that Shego isn't going to take over the world, then that's enough for me."

"Does she even have the ability to care if Shego wanted to take over the world?" Kim inquired.

"She does. If she didn't care as much as you seem to think, she wouldn't bother at all," Tatsu snapped and picked up her pace.

"Wait, Tatsu. Wait," Kim implored as she jogged after the older woman. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just … I'm not sure what to believe. I mean, if my brothers thought something was wrong with Shego and my own brain—as damaged as it maybe—is still telling me there's something wrong with Shego, aren't I allowed some skepticism?"

"About Shego, yes. About your own sister, no. The twins didn't split over wither or not Trin had feelings. They left over differing ideologies and nothing more."

"Does she have any clue where the boys are?" Kim inquired.

"They're grown men now, Kim. They actually look a lot like Wade. She always figures they're on one of the many tiny, deserted islands peppering the borderlands. There are thousands of them, but most of them are toxic. It still leaves over a hundred hiding places."

"Are they hiding?"

"Do Possibles ever hide?"

Kim grinned, but was distracted from responding as they came to a metal door. Tatsu accessed it with an ID card and a palm scan. Stepping inside, Kim realized that they were in the area that she had been in before with Tatsu with the Paladin battle armor.

"Still working on these?" Kim asked, motioning to the line of large, stationary machines.

"Still trying to get them to work," Tatsu replied.

"You like working with Wade?"

"I've learned a lot from him and he's learned a little from me. Now, we're trying to combine efforts and showing that we haven't learned a damn thing," the mechanic remarked.

"Tell me a little bit about Wade. Or is it just a purely working relationship between you two? I remember you didn't seem interested in making friends."

Tatsu smiled a bit, wondering if Kim realized that she had finally recalled something that she had learned after graduating high school. She decided not to address. Trin had informed her that there was no telling when all of Kim's memories would return and she did not want to accidentally interrupt the process.

"I guess he's a friend. We mostly just work together, though. I know we're closer than Trin and DNAmy, no matter how DNAmy tells it," Tatsu commented, still smiling.

"Speaking of DNAmy and Wade, married?" Kim said in disbelief.

"Happily so. They have a … what did Trin call it? A relationship so saccharine that it could cause diabetes. Shego often makes gagging noises when Wade and Amy are in a room together. Wade loves her for all of her affection and her brilliant mind and she loves taking care of him. They always have deep, scientific conversations together. They're good. Couldn't find two people more in love right now … well, more sickeningly in love anyway."

"Ah, you and Trin aren't sickeningly in love anymore?"

"We finally got over that. Looking back on it, we probably caused a cavity or two in our day."

Kim laughed. "The twins teased you two enough for you to know that you were so in love that it's surprising you didn't have hearts in your eyes. Honestly, whenever I saw you, I wanted to be like that with someone."

Tatsu smiled. "I hope you do find that, too. It's a wonderful thing. I hope the twins have found it too, if only to tease them when I finally see them again."

"Have you spoken to them recently?"

Tatsu shook her head. "I haven't spoken to them in about six months. The last time they contacted Trin, I wasn't around."

"Hey, have you met Joss?" Kim inquired out of the blue.

"I have met Joss on several different occasions. She should be home soon for you to catch up with her."

Kim nodded. "I'm glad she's okay."

"Yeah, Joss can definitely take care of herself. You'll probably be surprised by her when she gets back."

"Has she changed much?"

Tatsu scratched her head as she connected her laptop up to the Toltec suit. "I dunno if I'd say that, but I've been around her for years."

"Technically, she's older than I am, huh?"

"I guess. I never thought about how old you'd be considered. You're in the body of a twenty year old, even though you're like forty-three now."

Kim made a face at the thought of how old she truly was. She did not even feel twenty and she was actually over forty. Taking her mind off of that, she turned her attention to Tatsu and her work. Staring at the computer screen, she had no clue what she was looking at.

"What are these supposed to do again?" Kim asked.

"It's the next step in battle armor. You … You know what, I'll let you be the first to give it a test run," Tatsu replied.

Olive eyes blinked in shock. "First?"

"Yes, you can be the first to get a feel for it. Just don't tell Wade. He swears that these aren't ready for human interaction, but we're at a wall anyway. I think you'll better understand what they do if you gave it a try anyway."

Kim glanced at the suit and looked somewhat skeptical. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Perfectly. Are you wearing your battle-suit underneath your clothes?" Tatsu asked.

"Yeah, Trin told me to wear it at all times."

"Good. Strip down to it."

An orange eyebrow arched. "Excuse me?"

"Strip down to the battle-suit," Tatsu said again as if it was nothing. It obviously did not sound strange to her.

"O … kay …" Kim disrobed down to her battle-suit.

"Good. Now, step into the Paladin," Tatsu instructed as she worked on the laptop and the suit's front half opened up.

"Step in?"

"Trust me."

Kim sighed and rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. As soon as she was situated inside, the suit sealed itself off. Kim was about to ask "what next?" when the suit made a noise as if it was powering on. Her own battle-suit began to glow and the inside of the Paladin was illuminated. Screens appeared in front of Kim, giving her a clear picture of the outside world.

"Tatsu, what's going on?" Kim inquired, troubled eyes looking at everything around her.

"Uh …" Tatsu stammered, as perplexed as the redhead if her voice was an indication of things. "The Toltec has never responded like this before. I didn't power it up or anything," she replied.

"What does that mean?" Kim asked.

"I dunno …" Tatsu replied with her typical honesty.

"Well, what now?"

"Let me do a scan and theoretically, you should be able to control the Toltec like you would do with your own body."

"Theoretically?" Kim echoed, swallowing a bit.

"Well, we've never got it to open up and accept a human host before. Toltec is pretty stubborn."

"You make it sound like it's alive."

"Uh …"

"Is it?"

"To a degree."

"To a degree? I was designed with an AI that far expands expectations and you, my designer, would only give me to a degree?" the suit asked, shocking Kim and causing her heartbeat to speed up.

"Tatsu, why is the suit talking to me?" Kim looked around for an exit.

"Calm down, Kim Possible," the suit instructed her. "And, technically, I was speaking to my designer, who obviously has just dubbed me a mere machine. I might as well be a toaster."

"Wow, Toltec, I was starting to think that the AI never took with the way you've been sleeping," Tatsu commented. "I didn't expect you to have personality traits already, though. Wade always said you would have to interact with someone for a while for that to happen."

"I am interacting with you and Kim Possible," the Toltec pointed out.

"Tatsu, why does the suit know my name?" Kim asked.

"My brain has vast volumes of knowledge stored away and among the digital tomes is a sea of information on you, Kim. I am honored that you have chosen to use me to help you in your fight for justice," the Toltec replied. "Also, any questions in regards to me, you can address to me. My manual is stored in my systems as well."

"Uh …" Kim was not sure what was going on.

"Kim, Toltec has decided that it will be your armor. This actually works out great for you," Tatsu said.

"How so?" the redhead asked.

"You felt like you were useless. Well, you're now the only person one of the Paladins will even acknowledge."

"You mean all of the suits are like this?"

"Well, they're all unique, but they do all have an AI and a personality that should develop over time. They grow and learn just like people do. I can work on the specs with Wade and everything, but nothing like this. You can train in the suit and you can fight."

"Train in the suit? Where would I even have the room to begin understanding this?"

"The training room is in the adjacent space. It is known as the Hanger," the Toltec informed Kim.

"The Hanger?"

"It's a huge space for you get used to the Toltec and for it to get used to you. You will need the training because there's a lot for you to learn about these things and the best way to learn is by doing," Tatsu said.

"Then let's get started!" Kim declared with a grin.

Tatsu smiled, happy that for the first time since finding out what was going that Kim excited. Opening the door to the Hanger, she waved Kim through. For a moment, the redhead was unsure of herself.

"Just walk, Kim. The Paladin will move with you," Tatsu assured her.

Kim did as she was told and walked, finding the suit moved with her every step. It was like she was walking outside instead of the machine. Staring through all of the screens, she found that she saw outside in the same manner that she would if she were outside. Stepping through the opening to the Hanger, Tatsu sealed the area behind them.

"I'm going to go to the control panel and get you started, but you'll find that Toltec can control the whole Hanger as long as you know what you want it to do," Tatsu said.

"Spanking," Kim cheered.

"I can control much more, Kim. It would be quite pleasing to work with you and live up to my full potential with you," the Toltec announced.

"I think it's smitten with you," Tatsu remarked, earning an unseen blush from Kim. She charged up some metallic stairs to a hidden control panel. From there, she turned on the lights and synced herself with the Toltec, her image appearing inside of the screens in the machine.

"Whoa, Tatsu, I didn't know you could separate the screens like that," Kim said.

"You can divide them as much as you want, but it'll take practice. Wade kept saying when we did this that the brain could only handle so much information, so try not to split the screens too much. I'm just going to put on a simulation as if you were outside in the country of Kimber. Take a walking tour with the Toltec and use it's computer to look everything up that you want. Go crazy with it. I'm going to work on the other Paladins. I'll keep an eye on you from my monitor, but I think you should be fine."

"Thank you, Tatsu."

"No, thank you. You have no idea how much I invested in the Paladins only from them to reject everything and end up being giant paperweights," Tatsu said. "Wade will probably do back flips when he finally sees we didn't completely and utterly fail at this."

"We did not reject you, designer. We require special hosts. Only we can pick our hosts and only our hosts can pick us. We must bond," the Toltec stated.

"You couldn't have picked better, Toltec," Tatsu meant that.

The mechanic left her machine with her sister-in-law and knew that neither could not have been in better hands. It did not take long for her to hear cheering from Kim and she could imagine that the redhead was making the most of the Toltec. Now was the time for Paladins, Tatsu thought. Now was the time for Kim Possible, the Legend.

-8-8-8-8-

That's the end of the first array; one down, four to go. I'm having a bit of writer's block on the second array, but the story will return in a month, continuing to be updated on Thursdays. Thank you for reading. I hope you come back for the next array.

I would also like to thank the following for helping with this story: YogurthFrost (obviously since it started out as his idea and he helped in the planning), LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), Revsrvixena (excellent beta reader), and Judamacaby (another excellent beta). Thank you all.


	13. Prologue: When this began …

Welcome back to the story. I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

_Second Array: Wander Lust_

Prologue: When this began …

It seemed like the planet itself mourned the loss of Kim Possible. The sky was grey and the clouds cried heavy rains. But, oddly enough, there was no chill in the air; it was a comfortable temperature. There was an international day of mourning and there was an open memorial service in Washington D.C. for any and everyone that wanted to pay their respects for the fallen hero. The family had a much smaller service in Middleton.

It was not the ideal ceremony as far as the doctors Possible were concerned. Crowds of people gathered around the church that they had chosen and it was not until Global Justice offered security that anyone could even enter the church. Of course, security was not quite as tight as Doctor Director would have liked. After all, Shego got in, but then again, no one noticed.

Shego was rather high profile now since Drakken had come out proclaiming that he had "ended" Kim Possible. He was quite possibly the most wanted man on Earth thanks to his big mouth. Global Justice was on a heated hunt for him and any of his known associates, which plainly meant Shego since no one else in their right minds would be associated with Drakken. She suspected some people thought she had actually done the deed and Drakken was just taking credit for it. The thought made her stomach turn. Shego sat out of sight as speakers went on and on about what everyone knew, namely how great a person Kim was.

"So great that she throws herself in front of me when Drakken's trying to off me," Shego grumbled to herself.

An icy gnawing sensation spread through Shego's guts up to her heart. Not only had Kim taken a hit intended for her, but her last words dared to express admiration toward Shego. In that moment, Shego made a vow to herself: she would not rest until the Possibles at least had a body to lay to rest. With that promise she eased out of the service, unable watch the Possible family, Ron, and Wade try to make sense of this tragedy anymore.

"It'll never make sense," Shego figured and she left it at that. Kim was gone and the world was a poor place for it. _I'm poorer for it_.

-8-8-8-8-

Ron had sensed Shego enter and leave the memorial, but did not say anything. He had not noticed her show up, but he had noticed her eventually. He knew that Shego had a right to be there, even though it was far from common knowledge that Kim and Shego were friends. It did not help matters that Global Justice was scouring the known world for her.

He wondered if she would be allowed to grieve properly._Well, if she'll give herself a chance to grieve properly_. While he had lost his best friend, Shego had lost her _only_ friend to a man that she worked for, a man that she was so loyal to that it seemed like devotion, a man who seemed to actually be trying to destroy her. He did not even want to imagine what that was like.

"Ron," Wade whispered, nudging the blond with his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Ron turned to the pudgy boy next to him.

"It's your turn to say a few words for Kim."

"Oh." Warm brown eyes went wide and Ron nodded as he stood. Taking a deep breath, he moved to the podium and faced the full church. He was silent as he took in the crowd. The entire Possible clan, his family, Wade and his family, many of Kim's friends including Monique and Yori, the former Middleton cheering squad complete with Bonnie, and he was surprised who sat by Bonnie's side – Senor Senior Senior. He had never seen so many sad faces in his life. "Um …" his voice cracked and he coughed to clear his throat of the emotion choking him.

"Take your time, Ronald," James urged the young man as he wrapped his arm around his weeping wife.

Ron nodded. "Kim …" his voice cracked again, reminding him of when he was fourteen and going through puberty. "Kim was something special, I'm sure we all know that. What I don't think a lot of people know is why Kim was so special. It went beyond the fact that she helped save the world more times than any of us could count or that she would give you the shirt off her back and walk home barefoot if you needed shoes. No, Kim was special because she was a friend to any and everyone. She was there whenever you needed her and whatever you needed her for. She was the first real friend I ever had and would always stand up for me. She taught me more things than I could explain in a lifetime …"

Ron was so lost without Kim by his side that he actually zoned out while reading his eulogy. He was not even sure how he made it back to his seat. There seemed to be a whirlwind of people that swam in his vision for the rest of the day. Some of the people were familiar, other strangers, and often a mix in between. By the end of the day, he was sick of stupid questions like "are you all right" and "how are you handling this?"

"How the hell do they think I'm handling this? My best friend turned into an ice cube and then took a lava bath!" Ron snarled as he kicked up dirt in a corner of the Possible's backyard, scuffing up his best pair of shoes. It seemed like the only place that he could be alone for a prolonged period of time.

"I would say you're handling it pretty well since you're not out of your mind yet," Shego remarked, causing the blond to turn sharply. He found her standing right behind him with her hands tucked deeply into a black leather jacket.

"I could say the same of you," he shot back and forced out a half-smile for her. "You didn't stick around too long for the memorial."

Shego shrugged. "What can I say, I made more pressing matters." She sounded surprisingly casual, which ignited his ire.

"More pressing than saying goodbye to your own best friend?" he challenged with a growl.

Emerald eyes glared at Ron as if trying to make him combust. He knew that he had entered forbidden territory. He was not supposed to know that Kim was the only friend that Shego had in the world. It was not his fault that he also happened to be Kim's best friend and Kim talked to him about everything, especially how lonely Shego seemed to be since it seemed Kim was the only person she could call and talk to about life.

"Anyway, after I ducked out of the service, I figured I'd go find the idiot that thought it was a good idea to tell the world how he killed Kim Possible," Shego announced, rolling her eyes.

Ron's jaw dropped at that. "You found him that quickly?" he asked in disbelief. "Impressive. GJ has been looking for him for days."

"Yeah, well, he's not that hard to find if you know how to think like him. I'm actually ashamed admit that. I found him hiding out in his mother's basement, cowering in the corner. Not shocking that it was once his bedroom and still looks like it did when he was in high school." Shego snorted and rolled her eyes again.

"You killed him?" Ron guessed. He recalled how angry Shego was when they fled to safety and Shego realized what happened. Ron recollected Shego had literally burned so hot that he felt the heat and he was certain that it scorched his skin. He guessed that she had somehow made her plasma charge radiate through her whole body, even though he did not know that was possible. He never asked about it because he doubted that she would explain it, if she could explain it considering the fact that she did not seem to realize what she was doing.

"No. The second he saw me, he practically shit his pants. I'm not too sure why, though. I mean, he couldn't have possibly known I was so pissed with him," Shego explained.

Ron cocked his head to the side and his brow furrowed. "Dude, you left Drakken on an island with an exploding volcano to die. I think even Drakken could figure out how pissed you were. So, what happened next?"

"In exchange for not killing him outright or turning him over to GJ or any other law enforcement, Drakken explained to me that we were all a little premature in declaring Kim dead. Apparently, he thought I was betraying him to Kim and he wanted to teach me a lesson."

"By killing you?"

She shook her head. "No, not killing. You ever seen Star Wars?"

Ron's brow wrinkled and he glanced off to the side in confusion for a moment. "Uh … yeah, who hasn't?"

"I mean the old Star Wars."

"Yeah."

"Okay, good, then this won't sound as crazy to you. Drakken's whole scheme was like Juba the Hutt's plan with Han Solo. Basically, he was going to trap me in that crystal and then keep me in his lab like a trophy he could gloat to once he took over the world."

Ron nodded. "Personally, I would've gone with the slave girl thing."

Of course, Shego glared at him, but it was only halfhearted. "I probably would have gone with that, too. Anyway, he didn't. He wanted the trophy and the point is that the crystal wasn't made to kill me, only hold me. He had to take into account my plasma, so he invented something that couldn't be broken or melted by high energy."

It took Ron a moment and then he blinked. "If it could withstand your plasma, then lava couldn't hurt it!" His face lit up as he spoke and he pounded his fist into his palm.

"No, and since I was supposed to remain alive in the damn thing, so I could witness Drakken succeed without me, Kim is probably still alive. Unfortunately, it means that she's also trapped in crystal and buried under cooling lava."

"Better than being dead," Ron stated.

"Totally. I just hope she's not completely aware or she might be going slowly insane. Drakken didn't seem to know if you'd keep awareness while trapped in the damn crystal. But, anyway, I was wondering if Nerdlinger might be able to track her."

"You might not wanna call him Nerdlinger when we throw that theory out at him," Ron suggested.

"I don't think he'll give a shit when I tell him that Kim is probably alive and lost. In fact, I'll go tell him now."

"And what will I be doing?" Ron inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"Well, one of us has to turn Drakken over to GJ and I can't do it since one: I promised him I wouldn't and two: they're looking for me, too. So, guess which of us has to do that," Shego remarked with a smirk.

Ron nodded to concede that he was the one that had to turn in Drakken. "I like the way you think sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Shego winked and turned to leave.

The blond went back into the house and was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Senor Senior Senior speaking to the doctors Possible. He was about to intervene, but he could see sorrow in the villain's eyes as he shook James' hand. Senor spoke in a low tone to both Possibles and gently patted Anne on the shoulder.

"I guess Senor would understand this and he has always been a gentleman," Ron muttered to himself. Besides, he was certain that Shego would have slit Senor's throat with her bare talons if he did not come in peace. Despite that, Ron made his way over to Senor.

"Young Mister Stoppable," Senor greeted him, offering him a hand. "My condolences."

"I'm surprised to see you here," Ron replied and then his eyes cut to the left. "With Bonnie of all people."

Senor nodded and glanced over at Bonnie. "Yes, I thought it would be proper for her to pay her respects to Miss Possible. Unfortunately, her attitude so far seems to be that she wishes she were still in the Rivera with Junior. I could not even persuade him to come. I mean, yes, Miss Possible was our adversary, but we are not barbarians. She was a great adversary. One that legends are made of."

Ron could only nod. He was surprised to find that he was not shocked by Senor's words. The sincerity in the man's eyes actually moved Ron. He stepped away after that, certain that the gentleman villain would not upset the doctors. He figured that once the house cleared, he would then tell both doctors the possible good news about Kim.

-8-8-8-8-

Wade yelped as he was yanked into the basement of the Possible household. He went wide-eyed when he found himself being held by Shego. She put her finger to her lip and he nodded to show that he understood.

"Serious, computer geek, don't scream or anything. I've got important information on Kim," Shego informed him.

"I wasn't planning on screaming. Kim told me a long time ago that you're not half as bad as you pretend to be," Wade replied calmly.

Shego snorted. "It was like little Miss Perfect has been trying to ruin my rep behind my back."

"Not really. She mostly told me that in case something like this happened, so I wouldn't freak out. I've been led to believe that you're closer to our side than we think. So, what's this important information on Kim?" he inquired.

"Well, she's probably still alive," Shego answered and then she went into her whole explanation.

Wade nodded at the end of the whole story. "Never pegged you for a Star Wars geek," he commented with a teasing smile.

"Hey, I am not a geek!" Shego hissed. "No matter what my mother might lead people to believe. My dad just appreciates Star Wars and I may have seen all six with him on several different occasions."

"Right, he forced you to watch Star Wars," Wade remarked with a chuckle. "I have to say, that was actually a pretty elaborate plan for Drakken, even if most of it is stolen from one of the greatest movie series of all time … not counting the prequels."

She gave a half-smile as she shrugged. "Leave it to Drakken to get creative and competent when he was trying to off me. The worst of it is that I would've stuck by him until the end just to make sure he didn't hurt himself, even though Kim was telling me that it was probably time to leave."

"You have a real misplaced sense of loyalty, Shego."

She threw her hands. "I know. Blame my folks. They raised very screwed up kids. So, do you think you could track Kim down?"

Wade scratched the back of his head briefly. "I want to say 'yes,' but as I think on it, I'm not too sure. I mean, I might be able to track her bio rhythms, but I wouldn't bet the farm on that working. I could track the substance that she's trapped in, but we'd need to know what it's made of. Did Drakken tell you that?"

"No, he didn't go into detail. I can get those for you. I just hope Ron didn't turn the blue nutcase into GJ or the feds yet," Shego grumbled while rubbing her forehead.

"All right. You go get that and I'll get Ron. We can meet at my house. If necessary, I'll get Trin to help. She's good with computers and science. Couldn't hurt to have another geek around," Wade quipped.

Shego glared at him. "I am not a geek."

"No, you just happen to know Star Wars and you're an undercover engineer."

"What the hell didn't Kim tell you and the buffoon about me?" Shego huffed, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"No, she didn't tell me the engineer thing. I figured that out on my own a long time ago, Shego. I know you're smarter than you pretend to be. You're just lazy and unmotivated."

The pale woman shrugged. "I am those things. Well, I was those things. Right now, I'm motivated to find out where Kim is. Let me go get Drakken."

Wade nodded and Shego was gone. He could not help smiling at the thought that Kim might be alive. He would figure out a way to find her.

-8-8-8-8-

It took Shego a few days to get back to Wade and Ron. She met with them in Wade's room. He was already parked in front of the computer, trying to find Kim. He had a list of ways that he plotted out, hoping that they would help in locating the fallen hero.

"Hmm … I wouldn't have guessed you would come up with some of these," Shego commented as she glanced down at the list.

"I didn't. Trin – Kim's sister – and her crazy best friend came up with some of them. They're biochemists. Mrs. Possible came up with a couple also. Oh, and she was quite happy to know that Kim is probably alive somewhere," Wade reported.

"I figured she might be. So, any of these theories pan out?" Shego inquired.

"Nothing so far. Making matters worse, Kim's still getting hits on her website. It's a distraction and I don't know what to do about that," Wade replied.

"I'll go," Shego volunteered easily.

"You'll what?" Ron inquired, looking at her with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"I'll go. If it keeps you two focused on finding Kim, then I'll pick up the slack of helping people who clearly don't watch the news … or come outside or talk to people," the pale woman proclaimed as if it was nothing. _Who the fuck doesn't know Kim can't come to the rescue right now? That goes beyond living under a damn rock._

"You sure?" Wade asked.

"Yes, I'm sure! Gimme one of the things you use to talk to Kim and I'll hold down that end of things. We don't have time to debate this issue, Geek Squad," Shego snapped.

Wade was about to argue because he definitely did not like the moniker of "geek squad," but then again, from what he knew about Shego, he decided against arguing. He did not have a spare kimmunicator lying around, but he did have Kim's old one. He retrieved it from a desk drawer and passed it to Shego.

"What the hell is this? I'd say it's the size of VCR, but you two probably wouldn't even know what the hell I'm talking about," Shego remarked as she gripped the handheld kimmiuncator.

Wade glanced at Ron, who felt like it would be way too much to explain what Shego meant. Shego did not stick around to elaborate either. Wade and Ron settled in, trying figure out the best theory to start with in locating Kim.

-8-8-8-8-

Senor Senior Senior sat down in what he dubbed his "war room." It was more of a lounge right near the pool area that allowed him to plot his next move and keep an eye on his son as well as his son's girlfriend. Junior and Bonnie seemed perfect for each other, much to Senior's dismay. While he had not liked when Shego came along and motivated Junior by manipulating a crush he had on her, Bonnie seemed to be the exact opposite and Senior found himself disliking that just as much.

Bonnie seemed to be a de-motivator for Junior. She pretty much enjoyed everything that Junior did, wallowing in the luxury of wealth and encouraging Junior to do the same. Junior was always happy to indulge. Whenever they were home, their favorite past time was lying by the pool, ogling each other and tanning. _At least Shego got Junior up and moving about, working toward becoming a proper villain_.

"Junior, come here, my son," Senior called to the boy.

Junior let loose the most annoyed sigh, sounding like a bothered cow. Senior's face twisted in disgust because of the blatant disrespect. His eyes then clouded with a quiet rage as his son did not even acknowledge him with a word.

"Son, come here. There are plots to be had before someone else takes over the world," Senior urged. "We don't want to have to battle some other villain for the world."

"Father, I am trying to tan! You go ahead and take over the world. I just want to lie here with Bonnie," Junior answered and he inched his lounge chair closer to his girlfriend's area. She smiled at him and reached over to take his hand.

"Junior, we are a team. I want us to work together," Senior gently argued. He had to quietly remind himself that he was a gentleman and he never raised his voice, especially to his own beloved son. No matter how insolent the boy was becoming.

"What about what I want, Father? I want to tan!" Junior whined. "I've missed Bonnie, especially since you took her away for the weekend."

"We went to pay respects to our greatest adversary and her classmate," Senior argued.

Bonnie snorted. "I didn't even like Kim that much."

Senior frowned deeply. He wanted to say that he did not understand young people, but that was far from true. He did not understand and did not like Bonnie. She showed a disdain for all things respectful and meaningful, preferring shallowness and the material. What she lacked in manners, she made up for in obnoxiousness and he could not fathom what his son saw in her. He hated to think that Junior saw his mirror image in an hourglass figure. It would mean that he was a failure of a father.

"Yeah, Father, you shouldn't have dragged Bonnie off to the funeral of a girl that foiled your plans all the time," Junior agreed with Bonnie.

Senior was now scowling and glaring at Bonnie. Of course, she did not notice since all of her attention was on tanning and holding Junior's hand. He could not help wondering why manners were so hard to come by, but, of course, it was one of the things that he admired about Kim and Ron. He doubted that he would ever see them again. He knew that Ron was not likely to continue on without Kim, but he liked the blond young man, too.

"I should send him something," Senior decided and that settled him for the moment. He rose from his chair and went back inside.

Junior watched his father go, but did not pay him any mind beyond that. He settled comfortably in his space and turned to look at Bonnie. They smiled at each other.

"Your father is pretty high strung," Bonnie noted.

"He'll calm down. He probably just misses Kim Possible," Junior commented.

"What makes you say that?" she asked curiously.

"He got into villainy because he was retired, rich, and bored. Kim Possible made things less boring. Once he gets over the fact that she is gone, he will go back to villainy and not be bored anymore. He will have fun," he answered confidently. His father would get over Kim's demise and return to his usual thing; he was certain of that. Junior considered that he might even join his father once the old man got back on his feet.

Of course, there was no urgency in joining his father. Villainy would always be there, but it would be second to holding Bonnie close, spoiling her rotten, and lounging around with her without having to worry about his father pushing him into doing something.

-8-8-8-8-

"Junior, would you like to join me in my latest scheme?" Senior offered as Junior and Bonnie walked past him as he poured over documents in the living room.

"No, not now, Father. Bonnie and I are going to a very exclusive club tonight," Junior replied.

"What if we took over this exclusive club by force?" Senior proposed, trying to meet his son in the middle.

"Ew! Go to a club with your father!" Bonnie shuddered.

Junior turned up his nose. "Yes, Father, that is quite disgusting. You may take over the world. Bonnie and I will take over the club with our beauty … and maybe later something else," Junior considered and he gently took Bonnie by the arm to lead her away.

Senior sighed miserably, but continued on with his plot. He hoped that Junior would eventually join him, but no such luck. Junior went out clubbing with Bonnie for days.

-8-8-8-8-

"Junior, I have so much to tell you!" Senior declared as his son entered the room. His face lit up, even though his tone made it clear that he did not bear good news. He was just happy for the excuse to speak with his son.

"Not now, Father. I have to get ready for a date. I am going to surprise Bonnie for our anniversary," Junior answered with a proud smile. He was searching through his massive closet for the perfect outfit to wear on his date.

"That can wait!"

Junior sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why, Father? Have you succeeded in taking over the world?"

"No, nothing like that. But, as I was foiled, I discovered that Shego was working with young Mister Stoppable to put an end to my scheme," Senior informed his son.

Junior arched an eyebrow to that and glanced at his father briefly. "Shego? Why would Shego be out to stop you? Is she also trying to take over the world?" he asked curiously.

"I am not sure. But, she foiled one of my best schemes. It seemed like she was taking the place of Miss Possible, but her methods are sorely lacking. She was quite rude, too," Senior reported, shaking his head. He felt like he had a gentleman's agreement with Kim, even though she was not a gentleman, but with Shego, it seemed like a thuggish brawl, even though she never hit him physically. He actually expected such from Shego.

Junior snorted. "You think everyone is rude, Father. I'm sure Shego just doesn't want you taking over the world before she does." With that said, he dismissed his father and walked off.

Senior sighed and was not sure what else to do. But, there really was not much for him to do. Unfortunately, Junior would regret his treatment of his father for that was the last time he would see the older man alive.

-8-8-8-8-

"Father?" Junior called as he and Bonnie entered the house. They were dressed to the nines, having just finished painting the town red. There was no answer, which Junior thought was quite strange because all of the lights were on.

"Maybe he went to sleep. It's really late," Bonnie pointed out, scanning the house for Senior.

"He wouldn't have left this many lights on," Junior replied. "Go onto our room. I should find Father."

Bonnie opened her mouth to argue, but Junior stepped away as soon as he finished speaking. He rushed over to his father's study, believing that his father would more than likely be working on his next "take over the world" plan. His father was there, but he was not planted at his desk as Junior thought he would be. He was slumped in his plush, leather chair and oddly still with a strange tint to his skin.

"Father?" Junior called, hoping the old man was sleeping. The quiver in his voice and the tremble in his gut betrayed his hope. "Father?" his voice cracked.

Reaching out and touching Senior revealed that he was cold. He was not breathing and Junior could not stop the deep scream that escaped his throat. It turned into an anguished wail as he shook his father and Senior did not stir.

"Father! Father! Father!" Junior bellowed, pulling Senior up and finding him to be nothing more than dead weight. "Father, please, wake up! Wake up!"

"Junior, what's going on?" Bonnie asked with concern as she entered the study. She saw the way that Senior was limp against Junior and immediately knew what was wrong. "Junior, put him down and we can call for a doctor," she suggested.

"I will not put him down! Leave us be! He's fine. He just needs me to help him, that's all! That's all he's ever needed!" Junior replied, continuing to hold his father's lifeless body up.

"Junior, calm down," Bonnie implored.

"I said leave! Don't you listen? Leave me alone with my father!" Junior roared, glaring at Bonnie.

Bonnie tried to reach out for Junior to sooth him, but as soon as she made contact, he shoved her away. She fell hard against the door, slamming the back of her head into the jamb. Junior did not even seem to notice.

"Now, leave us be! We have plans to make!" Junior ordered.

Bonnie practically flew out of the room and Junior wept as he held his father. Senor Senior Senior had passed on much earlier in the day of heart failure. It took days for Junior to leave the study and allow someone to take the body. As his father was wheeled out of his home for the last time, Junior made a vow.

"We will take over the world, Father. Just like you wanted," Junior pledged to the sky.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: we go back to the future and find out how Kim's doing with the Toltec.


	14. 2:1: Tilted

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.1: Tilted

"Get Ryujin in here," Shego said to whomever was closest to her and could do her bidding. She was swamped in paper work, as she typically was when she was not in battle or planning some sort of defensive strategy. Right now, she was currently trying to stretch food resources and was not sure how she would pull it off. _Hey, God, if you're listening, I know you might have hit your miracle quota around here with Kimmie, but if you just gimme another one, I'd appreciate it_.

"You summoned me?" Ryujin inquired, appearing in front of the throne not even five minutes after Shego called for him.

"How's Kim doing?" Shego asked bluntly. A snort from behind her earned Shadow Hand a glare, which he ignored.

"I have not seen Kim all day, actually. I was hoping that she would want to return to the library. We enjoyed each other's company there yesterday. She taught me many words from before the War. She seemed to be feeling better physically, too. She told me about this thing called cheerleading and she showed me a move," Ryujin explained.

"Would that be the move that got you both thrown out of the library?" Shego asked with an arched eyebrow. She had gotten complaints about the two fooling around down there, but could not find it in herself to scold them. She was too happy to hear that Kim was getting better already.

Ryujin had the decency to blush in embarrassment. "Hey, she nailed the flip off the desk if that means anything," he offered with the hope that it did mean something.

"I saw. It was on the security camera. I also noticed that her knees wobbled a bit at the end."

The teen waved off her concern "She was fine. I would have caught her if she wasn't," he vowed with a smile.

"It's good that you're enjoying your time with her. But, how is that you haven't seen her at all today?"

"I went by her apartment early this morning, as I often do since I learned that she was an early-riser, but she was already gone. I checked in with Aunt Trin and Tatsu. Aunt Tatsu said that Kim was 'taking care of something.' I don't know what that means," the blond ninja explained.

"Do they know where she is?" Shego asked. Making sure that Kim was safe was the only important thing for her.

"Tatsu knew. She also said that she needs to speak to you about something soon, but she didn't say what it was and she didn't say what soon was either."

Shego snorted and emerald eyes rolled. "Of course not, because that would be too easy. With her, soon could be five minutes or five months from now. Okay, as long as someone knows where Kim is at all times. Shadow Hand, I guess Ryujin is your problem until Kim comes out of hiding."

Ryujin nodded and saluted, even though it was not necessary. He turned to Shadow Hand, who only gave him the briefest of nods. Ryujin knew exactly what the head movement meant, though, and was gone in a flash.

"Get me Doctor Blondie," Shego ordered, turning her focus back to her papers.

"Don't you think you're a little too preoccupied with Kim? You have problems to sort out," Shadow Hand pointed out.

"Don't you think you're minding my business and you shouldn't? Bodyguard doesn't mean husband," Shego countered.

"I thought in any relationship you always said you'd be the husband," Shadow Hand said.

"Careful, that almost sounded like a joke. Wouldn't want you to scare your inner child into thinking he might be able to come out and play."

"If you two are quite done bickering like an old married couple, I'd like to know why the hell I'm here," Trin commented, stepping into the Dark Room. "And stop having them page me as 'Doctor Blondie.' I almost gutted the guy next to me when he had the nerve to snicker."

Shego dismissed that with a slight shake of her head. "Not my problem. When's Kim's next physical?" she inquired.

"I planned it for tomorrow afternoon. I've already heard she's been doing acrobatics in her spare time, though," Trin replied.

"Must be the meds you're not telling her that you're giving her," the ruler said, almost smugly, like she was teasing the doctor.

Trin did not respond to that. "Beyond Kim's health, what else do you want?"

"You, Amy, and Shin need to get together and put your whacky heads together without giving each other concussions and figure out this food situation."

"Shego, you knew when we started this that none of the science was exact," Trin argued.

"I also knew none of it was ethical, yet here we are."

"You know we don't care about the ethics, which make us ideal to work on this. But, until we can test and retest and get better results, we can only give you what we have. Unfortunately, what we have are a bunch of hybrid domesticated animals that we can't get to breed and a bunch of hybrid plants with short shelf lives. The natural items that are still left are having trouble staying continuing to exist. It's not for lack of trying anyone's part, though," Trin reported.

"Try harder!" Shego barked and then lost impulse control. She flung the papers down at Trin. The way that the blond stood there, no one would have guessed that all of the papers hit her directly in the face except for the fact her glasses were knocked sideways.

Trin calmly adjusted her spectacles and then regarded her leader with a rather tedious expression. "You throwing a tantrum doesn't help. In fact, you know this is the least likely way to motivate me."

Shego sucked her teeth. She hated that Trin was right. Whenever she lost her cool like that and took it out on Trin, the blond would casually take the abuse, but she would then stop working. For Trin, the world could die and she would sit there and watch. Making matters worse, since Trin did not get angry, Shego had nothing to play off of and that only frustrated her further.

Sighing, the ebony-haired woman rubbed her face with her hands. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

Trin brushed the bridge of her nose with her thumb. "Is this about Kim?"

"Why doesn't she want to see me?" the green-skinned woman begged to know. Sighing again, she rubbed her forehead with her fingertips.

"Her memories are still in disarray. Give her time, Shego. A month is not time. A month is just adjusting," Trin explained.

"A month is plenty. It was more than enough for her to almost get killed," Shego pointed out with a frown. A strange, almost frightful expression clouded her eyes. She had almost lost Kim in that battle. It hurt her heart to think about finding Kim only to lose her to this foolish war. The war had already taken everything from her. If it took Kim, she would skin Junior with her bare hands and then eat him, literally. She would eat him raw.

"Stop dwelling on that. She didn't get killed. She's still with us. Now, if this is all, I have two maniacs to gather, so we don't all starve to death. Unless, of course, you have something else you'd like to throw at me and then we can all starve to death," Trin commented dryly.

"Let it go, Blondie. It's in the past," Shego huffed.

"Try to remember not to do it again. I understand you're worried about Kim, but you might want to find a better outlet for your emotions," Trin suggested.

"If you tell me to get laid next, you can go get bent," Shego growled.

"Well, you always seem to think it would improve my attitude or Wade's when he's in one of his moods," the blond replied.

"Get the hell out!" Shego ordered, sounding like it was a serious command. It was not nearly as serious as it sounded.

"Look at it this way, you're closer than ever to getting laid," Trin remarked before turning around and walking out.

Emerald eyes rolled and Shego snorted again. "I could _so_ get laid if I wanted to."

"I don't think it's a matter of wanting to do it," Shadow Hand pointed out.

"Don't you start, too. I'm getting it from all sides today and not in a good way."

"You only—" Shadow Hand started to say, but he was cut off by Shego putting her hand up.

"Stop acting like you're witty now."

Shadow Hand shrugged while Shego went to gather the papers she had carelessly flung. She could not believe that she had done something so stupid. She felt like she was unraveling, all because Kim was there, but Kim did not recall how they used to be. Kim did not recall those last words she spoke to Shego, nor did she know what those words had done to the older woman. _She saved me, the Savior_.

-8-8-8-8-

"Toltec, I think we're getting used to each other quite well," Kim commented. She was speaking to the Paladin armor that covered her. She was working out with the armor in a restricted area known as the Hanger. She had been hidden in there for days and had not considered that she might be missed. She had missed a few hours yesterday to hang out with Ryujin, but after that she had hurried right back to the Toltec.

"Agreed. Your stamina and movements are improving daily. I am sure that when you receive your physical today, Doctor Possible will be pleased," the suit replied.

Kim chuckled. "You can call her Trin."

It had taken Kim a while to get used to the fact that the suit could converse like any other person. While she was getting stronger physically thanks to being able to workout in the suit, the suit had actually been gaining a personality from being able to interact with a human being. Tatsu was the only one aware of the situation so far, but she told them both that she thought it was doing them both some good. She would tell Wade, Shego, and Trin as soon as she figured they would not completely freak out about it.

"You should leave for your appointment now, actually. It will take you thirteen minutes to get to her office from here. It will also take you eight minutes to return me to my post and close up the Hanger," the Toltec informed Kim.

"I don't need a babysitter, Toltec," she informed the suit.

"That was not my intent. It would limit our progress if your health were jeopardized. I am enjoying working with a true legend and a person who will be able to not only use me to my full potential, but also appreciate what I am capable of and more than likely push me to limits beyond my design. I check my specs often and it seems as if Doctor Load and Missus Possible created me for you exactly."

Kim laughed. "You're a flatterer."

"Nothing of the sort. Reviewing what it seems I was created to accomplish coincides with everything that they seem to believe you could achieve. I was the first designed and the specs from your original battle-suit were used. It is only logical that I was created for you."

"I wouldn't say for me. I mean, makes it sound like you're made to serve me."

"In essence, I was. I am not a living being, Kim Possible. I am a device used to bring peace and you are to use me."

Kim did not verbally respond to that, but she knew that Toltec could tell she was thinking on the matter. For her, it was difficult to think that Toltec was not a living being. The suit spoke to her in a very friendly manner and seemed to be developing a sense of humor, which was not something she associated with a machine.

"Kim, you should take your leave," Toltec said again.

Kim sighed, but she knew that the suit was correct. She needed to get going. Besides, it was not like she was opposed to having a checkup. She wanted to know how she was doing, even though she knew physically she was getting better by the second. It was her mind that was still bothersome. She still could not recall anything beyond high school and even some of those memories were a blur.

"Fine, Toltec. Same time tomorrow?" she proposed.

"I await our practice and bonding time," the Paladin replied.

Kim set about shutting down everything in the Hanger, which she could thankfully do from the Toltec. It was tricky, though, and she had botched it the first few times Tatsu showed her how to do it. The Toltec talked her through it whenever Tatsu was not there and she was able to do it with ease now.

Once the Hanger was shut down, Kim returned the Toltec to its place in the Basement. She did so with extra care and made sure that all of its systems were dormant, but not shut down. The Toltec disliked shutting down. The one time Kim had shut the suit down, it refused her the next day for practice. She would never make that mistake again.

With that out of the way, she made her way to Trin's examination room. She could navigate the Emerald City and the Obsidian Manor pretty well now, so she did not need Ryujin as a guide. She did think that she might seek him out later. While they were not the best of friends, they were learning to get along and enjoyed spending time together in the library learning from each other.

"Thank you for being on time, Kim," Trin stated as the redhead strolled in.

Olive eyes rolled. "It was one time and I got lost."

"I told you to let Ryujin bring you."

"It was no big. I don't want to rely on him every time I need something. I don't want to be a pest," Kim argued.

"He doesn't think of you as a pest. He actually likes spending time with you."

"He said that?" Kim asked, a little shocked. She thought that much of the time Ryujin felt obligated to spend time with her because he was the one that found her.

"Not in so many words, no. But, every day he has been at my apartment door asking where you are and if you want to go to the library."

Kim nodded. She mentally made plans to go find Ryujin when she was done with her physical to see if he still wanted to go to the library. She would practice more in the Toltec tomorrow definitely, but she had to stop living in the suit, she realized.

"So, how are you feeling?" Trin inquired as they began the routine examination.

"I'm fine. I feel like I should be asking you that. You did inhale all of those fumes, right?" Kim countered.

"It was a month ago, Kim. If those chemicals are still in my system, well, they would have killed me by now." Trin said it like it was nothing, but it caused tremors in her sister's stomach.

Kim was not sure how to react to that. She recalled after the battle that she was not supposed to be, hearing about how Trin and Shin were being quarantined for an undetermined amount of time because of chemicals. They had been kept away from everyone for two weeks and Kim had almost gone out of her mind, thinking that they would die. It took a lot of talking and even more trips to library for her to understand that she was not going to lose more people in her life.

Oddly enough, she did not feel much better once Trin and Shin were released and were completely healthy. She did not understand how they had lived through the chemical attack and no one seemed to be able to explain the process, which she thought might have been on purpose. While she did not think of herself as a genius, she came from a scientific family and could understand some rather complex things.

"Trin, how did you survive that chemical attack?" Kim inquired. Usually, when she started getting suspicious, Trin could be trusted to explain something in a way that it made sense.

"More chemicals. Think of it as a snake bite," Trin answered.

Kim nodded. "Chemicals before or after you went into battle?"

"Again, snake bite. Do you take antivenin before you get bitten?" the blond pointed out.

"No, but generally you have time before you die of a snake bite. You were in the middle of a chemical cloud."

"You shouldn't always listen to gossip, especially around here during down time," Trin replied.

"Come on, sis. Tell me."

"It's complicated, Kim. I would have to explain the whole biochemistry behind it and to do that I would need charts. Just explaining it to you wouldn't work. It didn't work when we tried explaining it to each other without visual aids and trial and error experiments."

Kim scratched her head. "We?"

"Me, Shin, Amy, and several other top scientists that thankfully survived this holocaust. I swear, we all looked like the stupidest smart people you could ever possibly meet when we theorized what to do and how to make it happen."

"So, how did you make it happen?"

"Again, I would need charts and other things I don't have here. When we both have a spare moment outside of the exam room, I'll explain it to you."

Kim nodded and then switched gears. "Have you spoken to Jim or Tim recently?"

"They have not contacted me."

"When they do, will you tell them about me?"

"I would rather you speak with them than I tell them," Trin replied.

"And Shego would let me?" Kim asked and they both knew she was just trying to stir things up with that question. Shego did not control her and she would never allow it to happen.

"I don't think it's her call and she has nothing against the twins, anyway. She would probably insist that you speak with them."

That response threw Kim and she blinked hard. "Insist?"

"Kim, Shego knows just as well as anyone does what it's like to lose family."

"Her brothers?" Kim guessed. Until that moment, she forgot that Shego had brothers. She was then flooded with memories of Team Go and how she helped them get their powers back.

"Everyone for her, actually. Her parents died fighting this war."

"You know, it never occurred to me that Shego had parents. That's awful. Did Junior kill them?"

"Not personally, but they were killed by his army. They were a force together. They somewhat reminded me of you and Ronald when teamed up, even though Isabel was much more like Shego than you. It was just that Isabel and Kane were a team that probably shouldn't have worked, but did very well."

"Kane and Isabel? Did she name the country and city after her parents?"

The blond nodded. "We often name things after those who gave us strength, but could no longer be with us, which is how we all settled on naming the entire continent after you."

"You shouldn't have …" Kim whispered. While she was flattered by the gesture, she was reminded almost daily that she was not up to par with those around her and thus not worthy of such recognition.

"It was the first and only thing we all agreed on. Even when it was decided that Shego should lead, we had fights and huge debates. Shin actually stabbed someone during one meeting."

Kim snorted. "I can't believe he's trusted with a weapon during a meeting."

"He's not. And, now, he's not allowed pens or pencils either."

The redhead snorted and nodded. "That sounds about right. You said Shego's parents reminded you of me and Ron. Can you tell me where Ron is yet?"

"I'm sorry, mini-me, but it's not my choice. I can only assure you that he's alive and well. If that status changes, I'll let you know."

Kim nodded, but her forehead wrinkled. Olive eyes drifted to the ground. "Does he not want to see me?" she asked in a low, frightened whisper.

"That's not it at all," Trin assured the redhead. She wished that she had more to offer than that.

"Then what is it?"

"Ronald is not like you remember, mini-me. He is not open to talking about the decisions that he makes. So, again, all I can tell you is that he is alive and well. He will approach you when he's ready."

Kim nodded again and tried to figure out why Ron would not meet with her. She considered that he might not have been informed that she was back. Part of her even thought that Shego might be keeping her from Ron, not that she could figure out why. But, then again, part of her suspected that Shego might be hiding Jim and Tim from her, too.

Even after a month, Kim could not find herself trusting Shego and she had trouble believing everything that was said to her about Shego. She could only remember Shego trying to take over the world with Doctor Drakken. Her memory made accepting reality very difficult because despite seeing the carnage that Junior was capable of, her mind could not reconcile it with the Junior that she knew. The relatively-harmless-due-to-being-lazy Junior, who only wanted to go out clubbing and lounge around his pool unless his father pushed him to do something evil. But, his father could not push anymore since by all accounts Senor Senior Senior died a few months after she disappeared.

"Kim," Trin said.

"Huh?" Kim snapped out of her own thoughts.

"I was just saying that we're done."

"Oh. We are? That was fast," or so Kim thought.

"No, you just decided to go off into your own head for a while as you have a habit of doing. Care to share your thoughts?" Trin inquired.

"No, unless you're a psychiatrist, too."

"Unfortunately, no. But, another perspective might help you sort out your thoughts. Perhaps if you could at least be free of those, your other memories might return and you can move forward."

The redhead rubbed her forehead. "I don't think I'm ready to talk, yet," she admitted. She was not sure why that was, but she was frightened that it might be because she did not trust her sister fully. She doubted that she trusted anything completely anymore, aside from her own mind and instincts anyway. And, she had been second-guessing those things, too.

"Fair enough. Well, as usual, physically, you're improving by the second. I feel safe in saying that you should be able to start your original workout routine. You might have some trouble with stamina, but you can build that back up as you workout. Brain function is clear and seems up to par," Trin reported.

"So, why haven't my memories come back? I can barely remember junior year of high school. I don't remember graduating at all. I graduated, right?" Kim asked with worry in her eyes.

"Of course you did," Trin scoffed, as if the idea of something otherwise was beyond logical.

"What college did I go to?" Kim asked curiously.

Blond locks swayed as Trin shook her head. "You know I refuse to tell you. I want you to remember, not _think_ that you remembered because I told you something."

"I could look it up in the library," the younger woman pointed out.

"And if you were going to do that, you would have done it already. You want to remember. You don't want to read about it and you don't want me to tell you. You want to remember, which is understandable. So, I won't tell you."

Kim frowned, even though that was definitely the truth. Instead of arguing, she left the good doctor since their meeting was over. She knew that Trin had important matters to take care of, so she would seek out Ryujin. If he were not busy, then they would be able to hang out for the day.

Ryujin was not difficult to find much of the time and Kim found him almost instantly in one of the gardens. He was at the opposite end, by some tall flowers and a grove of trees. From what Kim could tell, he was speaking with Jessie. Kim decided not to interrupt.

Glancing around, the garden was fairly empty with people mostly passing through in a rush to some other, important place in the Onyx Manor. Kim decided to try out her healing body and see what it was capable of without the help of the Toltec.

Kim started with simple cheerleading warm-ups. She found that she still could not stretch as well as she used to, but she would work at it and soon enough she knew that she would be able to touch her toes again. She needed that flexibility back to feel completely comfortable in her own skin, but she did not let it weigh on her while she was moving.

Soon, the basic warm-ups turned into tumbles. She then began doing a series of backflips and her confidence was building as she did them with ease. Of course, she ended up getting ahead of herself and as she went to top off the flips with a spinning kick, she lost her balance. Landing wrong, her ankle bent the wrong way and she fell to the ground. Putting her hands out to catch herself, a pain shot through her wrist. She was about to curse her luck, but the sound of snickering got her attention.

Olive eyes shot up and she noticed a trio of Guards watching her from a couple of feet away. They were laughing and pointing at the fallen young woman. A growl escaped Kim's throat as she tried to climb to her feet. She would show them that she was no laughing matter!

"Can you believe that's supposed to be the Legend? I knew she was just some fairy tale!" one Guard declared.

"She's a legend at being useless," another remarked.

Kim was somewhat used to the verbal abuse and it was one of the reasons that she usually stayed in the Hanger now. Everyone that knew her seemed to also know about her failure on the battlefield a month ago. Judgment was swift and harsh. She was a lying, useless failure if the whispers were to be believed. She was tempted to believe them.

"Hey, who the hell do you think you are to insult the Legend? You're lucky she doesn't kick your ass six ways to Sunday!" a voice called that had a semi-familiar twang to it.

Kim and the Guards all turned to see a muscular auburn-haired woman about a yard away. She was taller than Kim; probably around Shego's height. She was dressed in a very familiar outfit, too; cargo pants and a black crop top that left tanned skin and a toned body on display. There was a gun on her hip and a knife on her boot. The Guards gasped.

"Sorry, sir!" all of the Guards cried and saluted the newcomer immediately. Kim noticed very early on that the word "ma'am" had died out a long time ago when it came to addressing women in authority.

"Now, git! Unless you want me to transfer y'all to clean up duty on Jannika!" the woman huffed with a deadly glare in her green eyes.

The Guards ran off as if they were in serious fear for their lives. Kim could hardly believe it and she could not help wondering who the woman was. Part of her thought that she knew already, but she blocked that out in favor of being upset. She was sick of having people jump in and defend her.

"Thank for that, but I could have handled it on my own," Kim stated as she slowly made her way to her feet. She experimentally placed some weight on her ankle and found that it did not hurt as much as she expected it to. _At least I don't need more medical attention_.

"Hell, I know that, cousin!" the woman declared with a grin.

The word "cousin" caught Kim's attention. She studied the woman before her, the set pattern of freckles across her face, the somewhat bright olive green of her eyes, and the dark auburn hair. She gasped as she realized who she was looking at.

"Joss?" Kim groaned out.

"The one and only!" Before either of them realized it, they were embracing each other. Kim could not help sighing. Seeing Joss for the moment made Kim feel like something was right in the upside down world she inhabited.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim and Joss hang out.


	15. 2:2: Conflict

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.2: Conflict

"So, Joss, where have you been?" Kim asked curiously as she and her cousin sized each other up. Joss definitely looked different, but that was to be expected since the last time Kim remembered seeing her cousin the girl was thirteen. She guessed that Joss was now in her thirties, but she could not be sure of the exact age.

She noted that her cousin had well defined muscles and a hardness in her eyes that was probably brought on by the war. There was a gun on Joss' hip and a knife at her thigh. She was not sure what to make of the weapons.

"I've been out. Got a job to do and everything," Joss answered with a smile. "You know, they told me you were back, but I couldn't believe it. I had to hurry here as fast as I could to see you and even that wasn't fast enough."

Kim smiled, too. "I've been here for a month. I was told you'd be back much sooner than that."

Joss nodded and her smile turned into a huge grin, but it seemed like she was deflecting. "I was supposed to be back sooner, but like most things around here, it didn't go as planned."

"Well, what were you doing?" Kim asked curiously.

Joss stared down at her cousin briefly before glancing away. She yawned and stretched, throwing her long, muscular arms up to make a show of it. Kim frowned, knowing that she was about to be blown off, as was the norm for her when asking around. She wondered if everyone was ordered to do that or they all just thought lying to her was for the best.

"Just doing my job, making sure everything is peaceful in the countryside," Joss answered with a shrug. Kim knew it was more to it than that.

The former hero arched an eyebrow. "Oh? How do you do that?"

Joss smiled again and shrugged. "Winning personality, I guess. Come on, let's go get some lunch together and you can tell me what you think of this place so far."

The avoidance hit Kim harder than she thought it would. She was sure that if anyone would be straight with her, it would be her family. Trin only held back when she thought something would take a long time to explain, after all. Everyone else hid things, and Joss seemed to be in the "everyone else" category. She would spend the rest of lunch to try to change that and she hoped that she was successful because she was not sure if she could take the constant pain of having her own family lie to her.

"Have you been to the restaurants around here?" Joss asked curiously.

"Not many. Ryujin seems fond of a place that serves something that seems like Mexican food," Kim replied.

"Ryujin? You hang out with him?" Joss' expression did not look very impressed. Of course, she did not look nearly as disgusted as some of the Guards appeared when they mentioned or noticed Ryujin.

"Yeah. He's cool," Kim stated. She and Ryujin might not see eye-to-eye all of the time, but they could get along. _Sure, he's no Ron, but Ron's one of a kind anyway_.

Joss shrugged. "Yeah, he's an all right kid. He does get cravings for Mexican food all the time. Too bad he doesn't live in a time where there's a Bueno Nacho."

Kim chuckled and nodded. She could imagine Ryujin loving Bueno Nacho as much as Ron did. She was almost certain that Ryujin was related to Ron, so she figured that the love of Mexican food might have been genetic. She did wonder how Ryujin was related to Ron because no one ever mentioned it, not even Ryujin when she slipped up and called him "Ron." She only thought that it was something else that people were hiding from her, but she was not sure why they would hide that information.

They ended up at the small cafeteria area in the Onyx Manor. The area reminded Kim of cafes in Paris, except they were the largest restaurants that the country had to offer. They all served foods that sounded familiar to Kim, but they did not taste as she recalled. Some of them were blends of foods that she recollected, but she understood that she was in a completely different culture and a completely different time. She did not even expect the food to be same.

"They serve the best barbeque on the planet here," Joss commented as they sat down.

"I look forward to trying it," Kim smiled. They settled in and a waiter practically appeared before them. Kim allowed her cousin to order for both of them. "So, how about you tell me where you've been?"

"Here and there. I travel all around, almost all of the time," Joss replied cryptically. Her tone and expression made it seem like she was just being frivolous, but Kim knew that she was purposely avoiding details.

"Doing what?"

"Just helping to keep the peace of the country. How about you? What are you doing around here, aside from hanging out with Ryujin?" Joss inquired.

"Nothing much. Did they tell you about what I did the first week I was here?"

Joss nodded and offered her cousin a sorrowful expression. "I heard about it, yeah. It's all right. You'll get back to yourself. I mean, you're Kim Possible. You'll be a lean, mean, ass-kicking machine in no time. Junior won't even see it coming. I bet you could sneak right into his lair and snap his fucking neck. He'd never see this shit coming."

Kim's brow wrinkled, but she quickly smoothed out her expression. She was stunned to hear Joss speak so harshly, even if it was about Junior. She would never think to kill someone.

"Is that what you would do?" Kim asked curiously.

"Hell, yeah! That goddamn Junior is a monster!" Joss proclaimed with a heated glare in her dark green eyes.

The former hero could not call her cousin on that one. Everything that she had seen about Junior pointed directly to "monster." It was just hard to believe that it was the same Junior she knew. It was hard to believe point blank considering it was probably a first in history for someone to help destroy much of the world while conquering whatever was left.

"So, we should hang out while I'm home," Joss declared.

"Hang out?" Kim asked. "Like what?"

"Yeah, we could spar. I'll show you how good I've gotten. You can spar, right? I hear that Trin and Shego are both on a rampage when it comes to you and your health. I don't want to give either of them a reason to cut my head off," Joss remarked with a chuckle, even though she was serious.

"They don't control me. I would love to spar with you, Joss," Kim answered. It could work out in a couple of different ways: one, she would get to know Joss better and try to get her to open up. Two, she might be able to exercise with someone that would not treat her with kid gloves.

Joss laughed again. "They might not control you, but they would certainly kill me. We have to do it some place private. Can you leave the Onyx Manor?"

Kim was about to reiterate that her sister did not control her and Shego especially did not control her. But, obviously, what she did with Joss could get her cousin into hot water, which was not something that she was looking to do. Of course, there were ways around that. She smirked.

"They never said I couldn't," Kim answered.

"I still like the way you think, cousin!" Joss grinned.

They shared a laugh and then shared their food. Once the meal was done, Joss just walked off and Kim trotted off after her. Ryujin often did the same when they ate at restaurants. Kim was not sure if there was no currency in Shego's country or if the Elect just got things for free. If it was the latter, she wondered why they got things for free.

"So, where are we going?" Kim asked.

"We'll just go right outside the city. This way, no one will wander over and bother us," Joss explained.

"There's no place in the Onyx Manor or Emerald City for us to use?" Kim inquired.

"Why? I thought you wanted to go out."

"Oh, believe me, I do! I'm just curious. There's still so much about this place that I don't know and I'm trying to understand it. Like, back at the restaurant. You just left and Ryujin does that, too. Why? Is there no money?" Kim inquired. She had held off asking Ryujin just in case there was no currency because he could question her just as well as she could question him. He had a curiosity streak a mile wide and he would overpower her with questions about how life used to be.

"No, there's money. We use gold coins and things like that. We have some paper notes, but it's usually for large amounts of money. There's also a barter system because money is often hard to come by. It's a weird mix," Joss replied. "Back at the restaurant, though, I get to eat free. So does Ryujin. Provided we don't over do it, we get a lot of things for free."

"Because you're government officials?"

"Because we protect the country and the people and make life here as easy as possible," Joss explained as if it was nothing.

Kim could not argue with that. It seemed like they did the people favors and the people did them favors in return. It was one of the few things that made sense to Kim.

On their journey out of the city, Kim noticed that they did not come by one Guard. She gathered that was by design. The Guards would have probably stopped them and questioned where they were going before alerting Shego that Kim was trying to escape. Hell, escaping would not have been a bad idea if Kim knew where to go. Not so much to get away from Shego or anything in the Onyx Manor, but just to have time and space to sort out everything that constantly bombarded her.

Before Kim realized it, they were out of the Onyx Manor and on the bustling streets of Isabella. She had not seen much of the capital city since arriving a month ago and it was interesting to see. It was busy like any city that she could remember, but it had a different smell to it. Oddly enough, it had a clean scent to it, like it was pure. The aroma of food seemed to dominate over others with things like fresh bread and coffee hanging in the air.

Suddenly, a distant sound echoed through Kim's mind. She could hear laughter and it sounded suspiciously like Shego's laughter. An image flashed and she could have sworn it was of her and Shego sitting in a coffee shop, laughing together. She stopped and shook her head, accidentally erasing the image from her mind.

"Kim, you okay?" Joss asked with some worry in her tone. She placed her hand on Kim's shoulder.

"Huh?" The former hero looked up at her concerned cousin. "I'm fine. My brain just gets fuzzy sometimes."

Joss nodded and snorted slightly. "I can imagine. That bugger Drakken did a number on you, huh?"

"That's just the half of it," Kim commented under her breath.

They continued on their way and soon they were out of the city. The air was crisp, but not cold as they entered a wooded area. The space was more open than Kim would have expected in the woods, especially since she had seen the jungles of Kimber on the way to the capital. The trees were thin, obviously young plants, but somehow they seemed strong and mighty like the biggest redwood.

"You know this is one of the few places on Earth with completely natural life," Joss informed her cousin. She took a moment to inhale deeply and stared at the canopy of trees.

"Completely natural?" Kim echoed.

"No science went into making this place. I like it. It reminds me of home – the ranch."

Kim nodded. "It is beautiful."

"It is, isn't it? A touch of beauty in this ugly world," Joss stated and then locked eyes with her cousin. Kim knew that they were talking about more than trees now.

"I'm just me, Joss."

"And that's the point. The girl who could do anything. Yeah, you are just you," Joss replied with a smile. "I wish I could've lived up to that ideal," she whispered.

"Anything's possible for a Possible," Kim reminded the older-younger woman while putting her hand on Joss' shoulder.

"We can't change the past," Joss stated and then she took a deep breath. A hard look overtook her deep green eyes. She then stepped away from Kim and smiled. The smile seemed just a little dangerous. "Now, let's see what you got, cousin!" She dropped down into a fighting stance.

Kim immediately noticed the position. She had studied the form of martial arts that Joss was about to use. She got into her own defensive position and studied Joss to see just how much of the style Joss used. Joss watched her and Kim could tell the exact moment that her cousin decided to come after her. It was a brief moment of good news, knowing that she was somewhat sharp, but then she found herself on the ground and there was nothing good about that.

"Wow, Kim, I didn't think you'd be so slow," Joss remarked as she made room and allowed Kim a chance to get up.

"That makes two of us," Kim grumbled as she climbed to her feet. She knew that she was not one hundred percent, but she never would have thought that her cousin could drop her with such ease. It did not help that the sting let her know just how powerful her cousin was without even trying.

"You all right?"

Kim responded with a nod and crouched down into her stance again. When Joss attacked the second time, Kim was more prepared and was able to avoid a kick. Joss recovered quickly and came in with an open hand combination that Kim was about to block. The former hero was starting to feel better about herself with each defensive move that she was able to pull off. But, eventually she did find herself on her back again, staring at the canopy of treetops and open sky.

"You like the view down there or something?" Joss teased, smiling a little.

Kim chuckled and hopped to her feet. She was back in her stance instantly and even more prepared for Joss the third time around. Again, with each passing second, Kim could duck and dodge just a little bit better. Her blocks became more accurate and the sting of Joss' knuckles were actually starting to feel good, familiar, something that her body recognized and was ready to deal with.

"Seems like you're getting a little faster," Joss remarked, still smiling.

"Just a little?" Kim asked and then she surprised her cousin.

Kim ducked a punch and swept Joss' legs out from underneath her. Joss was the one on her back that time. Kim could not help laughing, but noted that her cousin did not appear as amused.

"You been playing possum?" Joss inquired as she climbed to her feet and dropped into her fighting stance once more.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kim replied. She just knew how to improve every moment. It was the thing that made her fit into her genius family. It was how she was able to do anything … back when she could do anything.

"Then let's take it up a notch."

From the glint in Joss' eyes, Kim was willing to bet that her cousin was not used to being in the dirt. Kim could feel Joss' vigor shift and her stance, while the same in form, was different upon Kim's clever eye. She knew to brace herself and was quite right to do so.

The next attack Joss hit her with, Kim was not swift enough to avoid. She was able to fend off some of the blows, but the sting was now a bite. Her flesh seemed almost seared briefly and she had to counter or concede the match.

"That the best you got?" Joss taunted Kim as she easily avoided the former hero's counterattack. It sounded like it was all in good fun, but there seemed to be a little more to it.

"No, it gets better every moment I keep standing," Kim promised and then she feigned a kick with the shift of her hips. Joss prepared for that, moving right into an elbow. She fell back and Kim smiled. "Told you it gets better."

Joss actually laughed, too, and practically ate the hit. She moved to come back at Kim and it was in this dance that she realized one of the reasons that she was somewhat miserable with her circumstances had nothing to do with sickness or confusion. It had to do with lack of movement.

Kim was a person that had to always be moving, always doing something. Her brain and body thrived on kinetic information more than reading and speaking. She felt more like herself in a match with Joss than she did in a library with Ryujin. Even when she was working out with the Toltec, she did not feel as alive and herself and relevant as she did with Joss.

Kim was drawn out of those thoughts as Joss got her with a surprisingly powerful strike and knocked her to the ground. Coughing, her back bowed and she tried to comprehend the pain that coursed threw her. By the time she realized that she was on the ground and rolling over onto her side, Joss was by her side.

"Kim, I'm sorry! I thought you could handle that since we were going at each other so well!" Joss gasped. "Shit! I'm so sorry! Goddamn it, please be okay! There ain't enough of us Possibles left for me to kill one!"

Kim coughed again. "Joss, calm down. I'm okay … I think …" she groaned.

"Damn, I seriously thought you could take that. Sorry." Joss reached out and helped her cousin to her feet. Kim could not even stand up all the way. Joss covered her face with her hands for a moment, as if trying to hide from what she had done. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I mean, I did mean it, but I thought you could handle it."

"It's okay, Joss. Once upon a time, I would've been able to handle it. Good thing you only hit me in the shoulder with it. Had you hit me in the throat, as the move was intended, you'd have killed me," Kim commented, forcing out a laugh.

"Yeah, not that I'd ever use that move on you. Like I said, there ain't enough Possibles left for me to go around killing one, especially the Legend. Hell, the twins would probably invade Kimber and take my head off, provided Shego and Trin don't do it first."

"Speaking of the twins, do you talk to them? I wanted to see them, but Trin says they only contact her and she doesn't know how to get in touch with them."

"No one knows how to reach them, even Wade. Your brothers grew up to be bigger geniuses than both of our dads combined, so if they don't want you to know where they are, then you're not going to know. So, we'll have to wait for them to check in with Trin. Usually, she'll route them to me, so we can catch up," Joss explained.

Kim nodded. "Oh, okay." It would seem that she would not be seeing her brothers anytime soon.

"Let's get you back to the city. We should make sure you're okay."

Kim nodded again because she was hurting now. She could only wonder what Joss was doing such strength, especially considering the style of martial arts that dominated Joss' style. While Joss was like Kim and Shego in using an amalgamation of styles, several of them stuck out. They were all deadly forms of combat and Kim could see her cousin had been seriously holding back.

"Trin is going to kill me if you're hurt," Joss muttered as she helped keep Kim on her feet.

"Calm down. We don't have to tell Trin what happened. We're the only ones out here," Kim replied. The last thing that she wanted was for her sister or anyone else to know that she was injured again.

"So, what are we going to do?" Joss asked. "What are we going to say?"

"We'll just say that I fell, which is true. I did fall."

"What if they want details?"

Kim sighed. "You wanted to show me a special area in the woods and I fell trying to keep up with you. Still, all very much true."

Joss nodded in agreement with that and flashed her cousin a bit of a grin to show that she would go along with that. They made their way back into the city and into the Onyx Manor. When they stepped into Trin's office, they both offered very similar sheepish expressions that seemed to do nothing for the glare in Trin's aqua eyes.

"Do I even want to know?" Trin pondered aloud and then she shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Oh, good. We don't have to lie then," Joss sighed.

"Or tell me something that's the truth, but not complete," Trin added, glancing at Kim.

Kim continued to just smile, doing her best to appear innocent. Trin examined her with no questions asked unless they related to pain in her shoulder. Kim and Joss were thankful for that, but they knew that they were not going to get off so easily.

"No more sparring," Trin ordered once she was done. "Especially with that one." She pointed to Joss.

"Hey!" Joss shouted indignantly.

"When Kim is better, you two can spar until your legs fall off, but not a moment before," the blond informed them.

"Well, when's she gonna be better, doc? Can't you just give her a shot or something?" Joss huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"I've given her what I can and she has made great strides, but she still has a ways to go, especially if she wants to go toe-to-toe with you."

Joss sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. Kim wondered just how tough Joss was for her sister to make it seem like she needed to be at the top of her game to spar with Joss. She doubted that she would ever get to that point if she continued on how she was. Yes, her body felt good, especially after Trin had given her some medication to take, but she was not herself. She needed to do something to get back to the person that she used to be.

"Well, what can we do in the mean time?" Joss asked.

"I've heard conversation can be entertaining, but you know as well as anyone, I don't much practice the art. Now, away with both of you and don't let me see you in here again, Kim, until it's a scheduled appointment," Trin ordered.

Kim nodded. "You're starting to sound a lot more like the Trin I remember," she commented.

Sapphire eyes rolled and Joss decided to yank Kim out of the room before they really got on the doctor's nerves. Kim actually felt somewhat at ease with Trin treating them in such a manner. It was a familiar demeanor in a storm of uncertainty.

"Well, what should we do now?" Kim wondered aloud.

"I think I should actually go report to Shego before she comes looking for me. She can be a downright beast when I'm not prompt," Joss replied with a laugh.

"I can believe that," the former hero commented.

Joss chuckled more. "I think I would be worse in her position, so she's not all that bad."

"You'd be worse?" Kim's face and tone were incredulous.

Joss merely offered her a half-smile. They parted ways without an explanation. Kim massaged her forehead as she tried to figure out what to do with herself. She was not surprised that she subconsciously wandered into the Basement and stood in front of the Toltec. For some reason, the machine made the most sense to her.

"Kim, you are back," the Toltec said.

Kim smiled. The first time she stood next to the Toltec and it turned on, it shocked the crap out of her. Tatsu had to explain that the Toltec sensed the circuits and software from her battle suit. It was still somewhat unnerving, though, when it turned on and greeted her.

"Yeah, I'm back. I don't have anything else to do, so I figured we could get to know each other more," Kim remarked.

The Toltec opened up and Kim was in the Paladin and off to the Hanger. Training in the Toltec was not the same all of a sudden. The simulations of the ground and people were not enough now that she had been outside.

"Toltec, can you do me a favor and show me everything that you can get on Joss Possible?" Kim requested while moving through a simulation of the Sea of Despair. It was one of the most dangerous places on the planet, so Kim thought it was best to train in that environment.

"Joss Possible's records are classified. Top level. We do not have clearance," the Toltec replied.

"You can't do anything?"

"I do not have clearance and my software is not yet sophisticated enough to do any type of hacking. If you could direct me as you would any other computer, we might be able to do something."

"I don't know anything about hacking …" There was an unspoken "yet." Kim suspected that she was going to have to become more familiar with computers if she wanted to use the Toltec to the best of its ability, but before that she needed to get back to the best of her ability. "Toltec, I think we should call it a night. I have something that I need to do."

"If that is your wish."

Kim put the Toltec back where it belonged less than twenty minutes after trying to take refuge in it. But, she knew that she would not be able to move with the Toltec until she found herself. And she was not stored away on a computer database or locked up in some simulation. She was in the wind with the answers to all of the questions that remained in her mind. So, she knew what she had to do.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego has a meeting with Joss while Kim does what she thinks is best for herself.


	16. 2:3: Impulsive, wise decisions

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.3: Impulsive, wise decisions

Kim was about to get lost in her head, which could have caused her to have second thoughts about what only ten minutes ago seemed like the best way to get back to her old self. The sound of voices caught her attention and kept her out of her own mind. Both voices sounded familiar, so she went to check it out. In a small garden, she spied Joss standing in front of Shego, who was leaning against a tree and appeared to be writing in a book.

"You sure you want to do the debriefing here?" Joss asked.

Shego shrugged and kept her attention focused on whatever she was writing. "It's where I am."

Joss shrugged in return. "Why do we bother with having things classified if we're just going to talk about 'em in the open?"

"Hey, if you want to be in charge, we can do things your way."

"I bet I'd kick ass if I were in charge. I'd fucking nuke Junior and be done with it," Joss declared with a twisted smile. The ease and seriousness with which she said this shocked her cousin, who had no idea Joss could be so violent.

"And the hundreds of thousands of lives you'd take in the process?"

There was another shrug from the younger warrior. "Casualties of war. They'd be dead eventually anyway if they stay over there with Junior."

"And this is why you're not in charge. You can't just kill everybody to get to Junior. You can kill a lot of people, but not everybody," Shego remarked. Kim assumed that she was serious, too.

"Fuck that. The man killed my whole family off. As far as I know, there's five Possibles left on the planet and one of those isn't even a Possible by blood."

"And you're barely a Possible by philosophy," Shego pointed out. Kim was not sure what that meant, but she suspected it had to do with Joss' "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" attitude.

"And you're not a Possible at all," Joss snapped. "Now, grow a pair and let's take on Junior like we should. He killed a bunch of refugees and he almost killed Kim in that damn attack. If you didn't have me running around in the backwoods, I'd have been here for that crap and handed Junior his nuts to him!"

Emerald eyes rolled. "If I didn't have you running around in the backwoods, as you so elegantly put it, we'd have dozens of dead citizens in those surrounding villages. Unless, of course, you screwed the job up and let those guys get away."

Joss snorted like an angry bull. "I never screw up. Those guys are as dead as you could possibly want."

"Good."

The one word hit Kim like a blow to the chest. Her cousin had just admitted to killing people and Shego declared that to be "good," as if her cousin just passed her driving examination. While Kim understood the country was at war, it was still difficult to accept that her cousin could kill anyone, especially people that were not at the battle. Joss was far from the battle; she had not killed soldiers. Kim's world tilted just a little more, which she certainly did not need.

"Any more roaming, psychotic jackasses you need me to wipe off the face of the Earth?" Joss asked.

"No. Go bring Doctor Blondie up to speed and then do whatever it is you do to relax," Shego replied, dismissing the younger woman with a wave of her hand. "Oh, and stay away from Kim."

Joss snorted. "You can't tell me to stay away from my own cousin."

"If you're sending her to the doctor, I can. I don't want you to hurt, Kim."

A deep frown cut across Joss' face. "You don't tell me what to do with my own cousin."

"You really want to challenge me, Joss? Do you think you're that big yet?" Shego dared the auburn-haired woman. "I'm not some rogue whose neck you can snap in an instant or some moron who doesn't know what end of a gun to point at you. I also don't quake in my boots at the mere mention of your name. And while you're so worried about how many Possibles there are on Earth, keep trying my patience and there will be one less."

Kim could not bear to listen anymore. She felt her resolve returning ten-fold. She could not stand around and wait for answers anymore. She could not just believe everything at face value. She needed to find her own truth and it had to be somewhere beyond the Manor walls, beyond the city limits.

-8-8-8-8-

Joss glared down at Shego and made her fist, which trembled as she held it. Shego sighed and stood up. Stepping over to Joss, she took the younger woman's hand into both of hers.

"Joss, he's taken a lot from all of us. But, we can't turn into monsters like him," Shego whispered.

"Why not? It would be the easiest way to beat him," Joss huffed and then sniffled. Tensing her jaw, she willed any and all tears to stay inside. She no longer cried and would not start just because Shego showed her a little sympathy.

"And the easiest way to let him win. When Junior lost the one thing that mattered to him, he allowed it to turn him into a beast. I can't let the same thing happen to us. Kimmie would never forgive me," Shego commented with a sad smile.

"I hear she hasn't forgiven you, anyway."

"That's very true, but it's only been a month and she's not the same Kim she was when she was frozen. I'm sure you noticed that."

Joss nodded. "She was a step or two slower than what I thought she'd be."

"And you've met her after her body's mostly healed thanks to the green serum. Kim has her own journey to take, healing both mind and body, just like the rest of us I suppose."

Joss chuckled and stepped back. She shook her head. "Philosophy doesn't suit you."

Shego laughed, too. "Then go get babied by your damn cousin. This is why I never bother with you," she remarked and brushed Joss off.

"Ah, you love me, if only because I remind you of Kim," Joss replied with a teasing smile.

"No, I'm done with you Possibles. You either hate me or drive me to drink. Seriously, go report to Trin. If she has something else for you, tell me before you head out. If she doesn't have anything for you, tell her to take her ass back to Jannika and find out what's going on with the harvests over there," Shego commanded.

Joss only nodded and marched off while Shego sat back down against the tree. Glancing up at the dark sky and seeing so many stars, she tried not to consider the past. She found it impossible, though.

"Why couldn't she just remember? Couldn't that one thing go right for me? Haven't I done enough right things in life to just have that one thing?" Shego wondered aloud.

Her stomach fluttered, as it did every time she thought of Kim. It was for both good and bad reasons. The action was now caused by memories of Kim from twenty years ago and moments ago. She recalled gentle smiles and hard glares. The gentle smiles made it through, as they often did when Shego concentrated and those thoughts helped put her at ease.

"Princess, I wish you would've just let Drakken hit me. None of this would've happened and you would've forgotten me so much easier than it is for me to ever forget you. I want to tell you how you've imprinted on my soul and I didn't even know it until I saw you again. I always knew that I felt something for you after a while, but this is so much more and I don't know if I'll be able to go on if you never remember. I've lost just as much as anybody in this war and why is that they all get to get you back in some form, but I get nothing?" Shego pondered.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and ignored the fact that a tear slid down her cheek. Tears did not happen often and Kim was almost always involved when they did. Briefly, she felt lost, as if she was in the middle of the rough ocean with no sight of land. She did not know what to do about her feelings or about the war or about the starving people that lived within her country. She could not even believe that she had a country. Gasping, she felt like she was drowning until she opened her eyes and frantically scanned the area.

"Okay, calm down, Shego. Calm down," the Western ruler told herself. She took several calming breaths and then retrieved the work that she brought out with her with the hope that it would get her to focus. "Kim's alive, that's good enough. He didn't take her from me, even if he took everyone else, he didn't take her. Just like I got her back, one day I'll be able to get more. This is not the end of the world," she promised herself. "This is not the end. This is the beginning of something more. I know it is."

Those words somehow comforted her enough to get her back on track. She felt the strength from those that she lost, including Kim, pushing her on and adding to her own inner strength. She had responsibilities and she would carry on while holding onto the one faith that she still had: one day, she would be rewarded. _In the end, selfishness still drives me. Pumpkin would probably like to know that at least one thing hasn't changed about my personality_. For some reason, that thought brought a smile to her face.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim found that she was resourceful enough to get out of the Onyx Manor on her own without being caught. Ducking the Guards and slipping through the cracks seemed almost easy as she did them. The minor feat helped her feel better about herself. She needed to do things for herself, fend for herself, and live without a gaggle of eyes watching to make sure she did not get a hangnail. Besides, she needed to see first hand what was going on if she wanted a better understanding of why everyone and everything was in such a state.

"I just need time to get my head together and see what this place is really all about. I mean, clearly Junior is horrible. He killed all of those people for no reason," Kim said, referring to the last battle where she had been injured. "But, Joss kills people? What in the world is going on? Shego threatening to kill Joss, even though she's supposed to be the good guy? No one wants to get give me a straight answer about Ron and God only knows what happened to the tweebs."

Kim shook that away and just continued to make her way out of the city. She remained alert to make sure that she avoided any Guards. She also wanted to avoid people in general just in case someone was gossiping. She did not want to hear any more gossip.

Keeping her wits about her, Kim took in new aspects of the city and added them to the mental database that she had already complied from the couple of trips into the city. She also had information from the library, books and the computer. While those things helped, again, it was experiencing it that made a difference for Kim.

Because she learned best through experience, Kim wandered the city until the sun began to come up. She saw the market centers, which were empty late at night. She went through a large park. There seemed to be a sporting arena close by, but she did not investigate further than scanning the outside. It seemed that some of the roads in the city were paved, but they were mostly cobblestone with grooves down them from cartwheels wearing on the stones. Going through residential areas, she found that most families were sleeping and the streets were dark, deserted. Kim had never seen Middleton like that and Middleton was far from a busy city.

"People probably don't have the time for leisure activities and need their rest to make it through the work day," Kim figured.

There were patrolling Guards, so Kim did wonder if there was a curfew in effect. Of course, she did not stop to ask. Instead, whenever she saw Guard or the rare person, she melted into the shadows and found some other place in the city to be. When the sun began sneaking into the sky, Kim sneaked out of the city, already feeling accomplished just because she made it outside and survived a night on her own in a strange place.

Marching out into the world on her own seemed different from the world she marched out into with Joss or with Ryujin. For some reason, she was able to take more in on her own. It was like she could see, hear, and just experience more things without someone with her. Seconds after that thought, she distinctly heard and experienced her stomach rumbling.

"Breakfast," Kim muttered to herself and then went about getting herself some breakfast.

It was not much of an effort to find breakfast; there was a grove of fruit trees not too far. They seemed to be fruit that Kim remembered and also hybrids of fruit that she remembered. She had read about the hybrids in the library when trying to educate herself about the environment. She picked a few apples and stored them in a bag that she had taken from the city. She also plucked some of the hybrids, knowing what she liked and knowing what vitamins were in each.

With breakfast and meals for the future, Kim marched on. She picked a direction at random to continue on. For some reason, her confidence heightened with each step.

-8-8-8-8-

"Shego, we have a problem," Trin stated as she burst into the Dark room. She and Wade were the only people on Earth that would dare such a thing, especially when they knew that Shego was busy. The few assistants in the area gulped and scattered, not wanting any part of what was probably going to be an argument.

"Yeah, the fact that you don't understand the concept of private and personal space is a huge fucking problem," Shego quipped without turning away from the work that she was doing. She had papers poured out over a small desk that she worked from.

"We both know I am not the one with the personal space problem. Do you know where Kim is?" Trin demanded to know.

"No clue. Have you asked your nephew?"

"He started this whole thing by asking me. He wanted to hang out with Kim and have a flipping competition since he seems to think that she could handle that much movement, but he couldn't find her. I haven't seen her since Joss brought her to me yesterday. Have you seen her?"

Shego paused and scratched her chin. "Can't say that I have, but then again, I've been working," she hissed, motioning to the pile of paper.

"Well, excuse the fuck out of me for not being the leader of the free world and having the free time to worry about my little sister. So, have you seen her?"

"I have not."

"Well, Wade and Tatsu haven't seen her either. Something is wrong."

"I would think so," Shego said in an eerily calm voice.

Aqua eyes glared from behind thin glasses. "Then we should do something about it."

"Relax, Blondie. No need to get your panties in a twist. She probably ran off," the pale ruler commented as if that was the most logical and safest thing in the world.

"And you're just sitting here? We already lost her once. I don't think any of us could survive losing her again," Trin pointed out in a tense tone.

"Blondie, while I might not have much interaction with Kim because she seems to think that I'm the anti-Christ, I have been watching from afar. I knew this was coming and you knew this was coming. Nothing in Kim's personality says that she's going to sit still and be content for so long, especially with us treating her with super kid-gloves," Shego reasoned.

"Your point?"

"My point is that I saw this coming and so did you. Kim needed to do this and I'm not going to stand in her way. I can't have her hating me any more than she already does."

Trin shifted her weight from one foot to the next; it was about the only way that she would show that she was anxious. "Kim isn't in any shape to be out on her own."

"And she won't be in any shape if she stays in here being babied by us," Shego pointed out.

"We are not babying her. We are merely protecting her," Trin argued.

Shego snorted and cast a bored glance at the blond. "Really? Are you really going to stand here and bullshit the both of us?"

"It's not bullshit. She could very easily be injured out there," the doctor countered.

"And she could very easily lose her mind in here."

"I would have thought you'd show more concern for your beloved."

Shego growled and rolled her eyes. "Could you possibly be any more insufferable? Hey, someone get Wade on the vid screen!" she ordered with an impatient snort.

There was movement to fulfill that command and in seconds, Wade's image was on a screen that appeared to the left of Shego. She did not bother to look up, so she missed the impatient expression on her chief engineer's face. Trin turned her attention to Wade and simply ignored the look on his face.

"What?" Wade huffed.

"Somebody's cranky," Shego remarked.

"Considering the fact that I actually have work to do while you two seem to just be hanging out, I think it's understandable," he replied.

"We're not just hanging out. Kimmie flew the coop and Blondie has her panties in a bunch over it. Plus, she thinks I'm taking this too lightly. Show her why," Shego stated.

Trin's expression fell; as much as her expression could fall anyway. "You have her chipped, don't you?"

"Hell, yeah!" Shego scoffed, like that was the most obvious thing on the planet. "You really think I would be sitting here with this shit if I didn't?"

"Wait, wait, wait, Kim's gone? Are you sure?" Wade asked.

"I would think that Joss kicking her ass was her breaking point, so I'm going to go with yes. Besides, Blondie is freaking out. Settle her nerves and we'll see if Kimmie is missing or just sleeping late," Shego remarked.

Wade did not have a smart retort for that one and simply went to work. Within moments, an image came up on the screen and shared space with Wade. The screen showed trees from a forest for a few seconds and then they saw Kim. She was strolling through the woods like it was an average day.

"I assume the chip is on her battle suit and not under her skin like you did with a certain buffoon years ago," Trin commented.

"I feel like I should defend his honor in his absence, but I don't have the energy," Shego quipped.

"He's not important, anyway. Wade," the doctor said.

"It's just the suit that's chipped. Do you want me to do anything, Shego, or are we just watching her? Is someone going to go get her?" the computer expert inquired. There was some worry in his voice, but he was trying to control it.

"I think we should leave her out there, but keep her under surveillance. I trust that is our most reliable satellite on her," Shego replied.

"Leave her out there? To all of the bandits and wild animals?" Wade asked in disbelief.

"We'll keep an eye on her. I know Blondie would think the worst of me, but you? We've been through so much, Nerdlinger," Shego chuckled.

"I'm not doubting you, geek. I'm just concerned," Wade admitted. "I don't think we could take losing Kim again."

"We're not going to lose her. If anything, we'll get her back better than ever. Look, you two should know this as well as I do, Kim is not one to sit around and just wait for things to get better. She is a doer. She needs to go out and do things. She needs to move," the green-skinned woman reminded the pair.

"This is a dangerous time and place to be moving, though." Trin muttered.

"We'll keep an eye on her, but we have to trust her. We have to let her do things her way if we ever want her to be herself again. This is her doing things her way," Shego explained.

"But, this isn't safe," Wade argued.

Shego sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Why does it seem like you two are always trying to drive me to drink? Do I have to say this in smaller words? Let's try this one, I'm not going to bring Kim back unless it's absolutely necessary. Whatever you two do is your own damn business. Now, can I get back to trying to figure out how the whole country will eat this year? Unless, of course, food consumption is no longer a priority."

"Speaking of food," Trin said and that let Shego know how Trin was going to handle the situation. "I can't do anything about the shortage."

"Can you at least tell me why the shortage and how we can make sure it doesn't happen again?" Shego inquired.

"Do I need to be here for this?" Wade asked.

"You can go." Shego dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Wade did not argue and the screen with his picture vanished while the one showing Kim remained. Shego had to fight back a smile.

"Water used for irrigation had been contaminated and that was why the projected food supply was so much higher than what we got," Trin explained.

"How did the water become contaminated and have you taken care of this problem?"

"Problem assessed and solved. There was pollution in the mountains that many of the streams originate from."

"How did it get there?"

"Can I have a moment to finish?" Trin arched an eyebrow and was pleasantly surprised that Shego did not have a smart comeback. "Apparently, there was forgotten waste in the mountains and it was jostled by a minor earthquake that we had not too long ago. We're only now feeling the effects of it from it dislodging the toxic waste. It's been taken care of."

"And the food?"

"I'm on it. Amy is on it, too, whining all the way through." Aqua eyes rolled.

Shego snorted. "It sounds like you're coming dangerously close to being a hypocrite."

"I don't whine. I merely state facts and it is a fact that she is whining. You know how she is once we depart from the animal kingdom. But, as I said, I'm on it. Anything else?" Trin inquired.

"Don't try to act like this impulsive meeting was my idea. I was minding my own business working when you barged in," the older woman answered.

Trin did not comment and just walked out, as Shego assumed she would do. The ruler then feigned getting back to her work, but she was not focused on work at all. Her eyes drifted to the screen that was still on display. The sight of Kim, merely walking through the woods, was more than enough to bring a smile to her face.

"Princess, I hope this works. Despite it all, I know we need you," Shego muttered to herself.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim trekked through the forest with few worries. She was vaguely aware of the dangerous animals that she could encounter. She had read about them as best she could in the library. Many of the animals were new and there was a catalogue of them, but it acknowledged that there was no way to tell how the animals would behave without years of close study. She was alert and somewhat hoping that animal would attack.

She wanted to see the wildlife for herself to match with what she read about, but she also wanted the challenge of getting away from the animal unscathed. So far, nothing had tried her yet. She knew it would only be a matter of time. Until then, she consciously picked apart the scenery, adding everything to her mental database.

"I can do this. I can take everything in. I can take on anything that gets in my way. I can do anything," Kim promised herself in a strong tone. "I can do anything, which includes get better, figure out exactly what is going on around here, and help in some shape or form. I can do anything. I can do anything."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim keeps on walking while the others argue over what to do about her missing.


	17. 2:4: The good die young

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.4: The good die young

It was getting dark and Kim knew that she had to find shelter somewhere to get a few hours of sleep. Usually, in a situation such this, she would have slept in a tree. She had done so several times when stuck overnight in jungles or forests, but at the moment she did not trust herself to survive a night in a tree without an unscheduled meeting with the ground. She had no desire to injury herself her first night on her own and prove that she did need supervision. So, she found a rotted out tree and spent the night in there.

"I should've brought a blanket with me," she muttered. It was not that she felt cold; no, the battle suit kept her body from feeling anything beyond comfortable with the outside climate. But, she was just used to sleeping with a blanket and it would have been a small comfort in the alien world.

But, she had slept under worse conditions, so it was not that difficult to drift off into a light sleep. While the sounds of the forest surrounded her, Kim was not conscious of the woods as soon as she was slumbering. Instead, her mind filled with strange images that she had grown accustomed to seeing in her dreams. Flashes of the past, thoughts of her parents, and signs of the person she once was. Most of the time, she knew what she was seeing, but there were times when things did not make sense.

Even in her sleep, Kim was curious of some of the things that she saw. They came in blasts, almost like subliminal messages during normal dreams and memories. Strange things, like her sitting with Shego and drinking coffee, her sitting in what seemed like a college lecture hall, and something that looked like aliens attacking and making "War of the Worlds" more than a radio prank. Even in her dreams, she dismissed these "subliminal messages" as tricks of the mind.

Often when she woke up from the dreams, she could recall the subliminal messages, but they tended to fade quickly. She could not make any sense of what did remain, no matter how much she thought on them. Waking the next morning, she found the same problem.

"Why the hell would I be having coffee with Shego?" Kim wondered, scratching her head as she rose with the sun. "I don't even like coffee … Or do I?"

Having other things on her mind, Kim had never thought to see if she liked coffee. It could be something to explore on her journey to find herself, if coffee still existed anyway. There was so much to know.

"Well, I'm not getting any closer to the truth by sitting here," Kim told herself. Crawling out of the hollowed out tree, she stretched and yawned as she did so.

The air was warming up as the dawn turned completely to day. Birds were out and singing, which was pleasantly normal to Kim's ears. Yes, there had been birds back at the Onyx Manor, but she still thought of the place as a comfortable jail. There was rustling in the bushes, which Kim did not think anything of. Everything about the forest seemed so normal and she would never worry about something normal.

"How can the rest of the world not look like this? How could people ruin the whole planet?" Kim asked herself aloud.

As Kim walked off, she dug through her bag for a piece of fruit to eat for breakfast. As she bit into the hybrid fruit, she breathed in the air and noted how it seemed fresher than the air back in Isabella. She supposed that was just something to expect in an area that was not inhabited by humans. Of course, there was no way for her to be sure the area was not inhabited by humans since she could not see every square inch of it.

She could sense that something was off, though. A small fission hummed in her spine and she actually smiled, even though her "Kimmie senses" were tingling. She smiled because it let her know that her senses were trying to return to normal. She was trying to return to normal and getting her instincts back. She was able to detect things around her and feel changes. Unfortunately, she did not have much time to dwell on that brilliant fact.

Ducking, she swiftly avoided being tackled by what looked like a ball of black fur to her. As she climbed to her feet, her attacker straightened itself out, revealing what appeared to be a baboon … or a very small black bear. The head was very baboon-like, but the body was more bear than old-world monkey. It had a long, thin tail, but the paws of a bear.

"I'm willing to bet it's called a babear and it was invented by DNAmy," Kim muttered to herself and then the creature roared out her. It sounded like a bear. "Okay, bear-monkey-guy, there's no reason why we both can't just walk away from this like two intelligent primates …"

The monkey-bear did not seem to agree with that and charged Kim. As it ran at her, it let out another loud roar and showed off the elongated teeth of a predator. Kim was able to dodge the next attack and moved out of the way to avoid another baboon-bear coming at her out of nowhere.

"Of course they would travel in a troop," Kim sighed as she avoided a third and a fourth animal. "It would be too easy to be a lone predator like a bear, after all."

-8-8-8-8-

"Do you want someone to go out and get her?" Wade inquired. His picture was on a viewing screen and he was speaking with Shego, who was sitting on her throne and working out matters for the kingdom.

"Why would I do that?" Shego countered as she jotted down a note on a separate piece of paper.

"Because if you bothered to look up, you would see that Kim about to be the morning meal of some very angry and hungry babears," he explained in a huff.

"I doubt some babears are going to do anything beyond regret going after Kim this early in the morning," Shego remarked with an amused smile.

"You have that much faith in her, even though you haven't even bothered to look up and see what the situation is like?"

"I have to have that much faith in her. This is a woman who can save the world and still write an A-plus term paper in the same day. I think she knows what she's doing."

"She's not that woman anymore. Hell, she doesn't even remember that she is a woman."

"And she won't ever be that woman if we keep cuddling her!" Shego snapped. She accidentally broke her pen in half. "Leave Kim be and let her find herself. If we do something the second it looks like she might be in trouble, we're only making things worse for her and for ourselves. After all, we don't have time for this and she chose to leave."

"Oh, cut the crap, Shego. You know if something happens to her, you'll slit your own throat with your claws while using your own plasma."

Shego growled. "Be that as it may, we're leaving Kim out there until it's absolutely necessary to bring her home. I'm not going to stand in her way if she thinks this is best, especially considering the bullshit that we've been doing hasn't worked. She knows what she's doing for the most part. She spent the better part of a month studying the world on a computer and reading as many books as she could get her hands on, so it's not like she'll be completely surprised by what's out there. She's healthy for the most part. So, leave it alone."

"You know that Trin is going to pitch a fit over this."

"No, Blondie isn't. She's seen this already and she walked out like nothing happened. She understands what Kim is doing now, so how about you get on board? You can't hold her hand forever, Load. Once upon a time, you would've acted like this was perfectly normal."

"Once upon a time, Kim was …" he trailed off because he was not sure how to finish that thought. It was probably for the best.

Shego glanced up, sort of daring him to say something. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. She wondered how long it would take him to just give up, so they could get back to work. There was a country to run, after all. People to keep alive.

"Anything else?" the ruler inquired with an edge in her voice.

"You might act all cool and everything, but I know on the inside your guts are churning," Wade replied, if only to make himself feel better.

She did not bother to confirm or deny the accusation. Everyone already knew too much about her feelings in regards to her princess in her opinion, even though she felt like they did not know the tip of the iceberg. Hell, she felt like what she knew was the tip of the iceberg, especially considering how badly it burned and festered that Kim wanted nothing to do with her right now.

"I'm hanging up on you," Shego announced and then she shut the screen off, so she did not have to bother with Wade anymore. It was not as satisfying as actually hanging up on a telephone; she was not sure why.

Thankfully, Wade did not bother to call back. Shego did bother to finally look up and see what had Wade so alarmed. All she saw were a bunch of babears, crazy predators Amy designed after a nightmare, and they were laid out in the dirt. Kim was yawning and stretching from what she could see.

"I knew it was nothing," Shego muttered. A smile eased onto her face.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sighed as she finished stretching. She was much stiffer and sore than she expected to be from keeping monkeys at bay, even if they were baboons and bears mixed together. She dragged her body away from the scene and vowed to be stronger during the next attack, and she knew there would be another attack. In fact, she hoped for another attack.

"I need to be sharper, stronger, and faster, so something else better jump out at me," Kim said with a smile. She had never been so happy to feel sore.

Moving through the forest, Kim kept herself on high alert. She came to a stream not to long after she began moving. She drank her fill and decided that she would follow the water since it had not occurred to her to take a jug of some kind with her. She kept her eyes open just in case she found something that would allow her to carry water.

Following the water was a blessing and a curse because it caused her to meet up with other predators. Just when she thought the baboon-bears were bad, she ran into what looked like a saber-tooth cat without the saber teeth; she would compare it to a liger, but definitely more manageable.

The cat charged Kim as she approached the stream for another drink. The redhead had barely dodged the lunge and the claws that followed. She was able to duck and weave many of the moves. She never would have thought that she was capable of doing such a thing when she was stuck in the city. Hell, for the past month, she often felt like a toddler could beat her up.

"This is one hell of a way to get back to normal," Kim said as she back-flipped her way away from the big cat.

In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that one false move and she would truly be dead, not like her twenty-year disappearance. One slight miscalculation and she would not be coming back. Yet, she continued to play with death. She had to compete with someone, after all. And, there was no bigger challenge to her natural Kimness than the ultimate test – defying death and Mother Nature.

Kim hissed as the cat's claws kissed her skin. The air touched her more than the talons, but it was enough to make her aware that she was close to losing her little challenge. Straightening up, Kim slipped past the business end of the big cat and then flipped on top of its broad shoulders. She then catapulted herself into the nearest tree. She could only hope that the big cat was not part leopard or cougar.

She climbed to the thinner branches as the cat roared and scratched at the tree trunk. The tree actually shook and Kim thought that the cat might be able to push the thick plant over. She did not stick around to find out, flinging herself from a branch into the next nearest tree. She noted the cat watched her, but did not follow her. As she jumped between the trees, she caught a glimpse of two smaller cats.

"Protecting her cubs. I should've seen that coming. Well, thanks for the workout, momma cat," Kim remarked as she swung through the trees. She made sure to stay with the stream and eventually came down back to the ground.

It was not long after she came down out of the trees did Kim get to meet another predator of this new world. An eagle of some kind dived out of the air and nearly tore her shoulder off. It just missed, but it did knock her into the stream. It was deeper than she thought, but she managed to swim back to shore.

Kim sighed and then laughed as she stood up. "This is getting really ridiculous and I'm just loving every second of it. It's so awesome! I've had all of these things come at me and I'm not dead. A little winded and sore, but definitely not dead."

-8-8-8-8-

Shego found herself forsaking work to watch a screen that she knew she should just turn off. Turning the screen off was out of the question, though; mostly because she needed to know if something happened to Kim the instant that it happened. She could not help the distraction, even when she turned back to her work, her eyes drifted back to watch the lithe redhead. Kim was doing as well as she expected the hero to do.

"I hope everything works out for you," Shego whispered to the image.

If things did not work out for Kim, Shego doubted that she would be able to survive the fallout. She had made it through a lot of things in life, not even starting with the disappearance of Kim, but she was certain that if Kim broke, then she would follow. Of course, she would never tell anyone, save maybe Blondie since she knew that Trin would take it to the grave no matter what. Anyone else would put more pressure on Kim to be "the Legend" because no one would want "the Savior" to crumble.

Little did they know, but Shego was already dying a little bit on the inside day by day. Seeing Kim and not being about to speak with her, touch her, or even be near her without getting a dirty look was like a spiked glove to the gut every day. She never knew that she could feel so many things at once until Kim returned. Before that, she had never known that she could feel love without realizing it until it was too late.

Over the years, she had often wondered if maybe she fell in love with the idea of Kim Possible. When Kim was last active, twenty-plus years ago, yes, Shego had enjoyed spending time with her. But, she looked at that as a friendship. Never during that time had she considered that she harbored any sort of romantic feelings for Kim. But, when Kim was gone, so many unnamed emotions came to the surface and she did not know what to do with them for a long time. She thought that she still might not know what to do with them.

"It was nice when I didn't have to deal with these stupid thoughts," the ruler grumbled to herself.

Once upon a time, she was too busy to think about Kim. She had a country to run and a war to conduct. Hell, she had a crazy man to stop. She had a million little things to do to keep thoughts of Kim at bay. She even got so little sleep that when she did pass out, her mind was too exhausted to conjure up images of the redhead. Through out the past two decades, she was sure that she had probably a handful of dreams involving Kim, except ones that reminded her of the sacrifice Kim made for her and that kept her fighting.

And then, of course, there were other tragedies in her life to keep her mind off of Kim. The passing of her parents had been something that stayed with her for almost a year. It consumed any spare thought that she had and the grief clung to her like a pet monkey. Incredulous could not begin to describe the way that she felt and to say that her head had been in a fog for that year would be being kind. Shego could not even remember what happened that year, except for the fact that the war had stolen from her the two most under-appreciated people in her life. She, like most children, thought that her parents would live forever.

"I can't believe …" Shego did not finish that thought. She straightened up and made a show of going through papers.

"You really think that's going to fool me?" Shadow Hand inquired as he stepped out of a dark corner of the room.

"It's worth a shot. If this was twenty-five years ago, you definitely would've fallen for it," Shego remarked.

"If only I could go back to being so naïve," he replied.

"If only we could all go back, even that idiot Junior."

"I'm sure if we could some how revert Junior, things would change for the better. Have we tried that?" Shadow Hand asked quite seriously.

"I've tried a lot of things on him. Between the fifth assassination attempt and the fortieth drugging, I do think I had someone draw up a plan to figure out how to get Junior back to the way he was. Let's just say even I have some issues over what came up."

"Did it involve raising the dead or something? We all know that the only way Junior is going to stop aside from controlling the world is if his father comes back to life and tells him that he's done enough," Shadow Hand pointed out.

"Who knew that Triple S was the sane one in that family," Shego chuckled.

"The same person that knew you were the responsible one in your family," Shadow Hand commented.

Shego nodded. "Touché. Touché. Of course, I wouldn't have bothered with this if it wasn't for everyone else screwing it up. Not like I could let Junior rule the world."

"And you have the nerve to call me out for bullshitting myself?" the bodyguard asked in disbelief. He then nodded toward the screen. "How long has she been out in the wilderness?"

"This is day three."

"She's going to get herself killed. Or someone else killed trying to go save her."

"I don't think so. Everyday, I see a little more of Kim coming out of her shell. She's stayed alive for three days without a single human being nearby. She needs to be able to only rely on herself. That's what she does and that's what's going to get her back to being herself," the pale woman argued.

"That's what's going to get her killed. Always needing to be the hero is going to get her killed."

"Well, I can't fault that logic since I've been thinking that since I met her and with the history of the world presently, heroics is a leading cause of death. But, Kim is not some pretty bird to leave locked up in the Emerald City. She's a force of nature and you should know that better than anyone."

Shadow Hand snorted. "Sentimentality doesn't suit you. Nor does remembering painful events of the past. So, you shouldn't be thinking about whatever it was that you were thinking about when I came in."

Emerald eyes rolled. "I was just thinking about my parents."

He nodded. "Do you think that they would've liked Kim?" He sounded almost curious and gentle.

There was a low chuckle. "You don't know it, but you're being affected by her whether you like it or not. You never would've thought to ask me that two months ago. You wouldn't have cared two months ago."

"I'm about to not care right now," he grunted.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "My parents would've loved her. She would've fit into my family better than Hego. They would've treated her like a second daughter. Hell, my mom would've flipped having a girl around who wouldn't always argue with her."

"Do you regret that? I mean, I didn't know your parents that long, but you and your mom seemed like you were always at each other's throats. Sometimes, your mom would try to bridge the gap, but you didn't seem interested."

She shook her head. "Nothing to regret, except that Junior got lucky. Me and mom got along the way you saw. That's how my family was. Despite it all, she knew how I felt and I knew how she felt. I wish they were still alive, of course, but I never look back and wish I did something differently with them. What about you? Did your parents get to meet _her_?"

"They met her and loved her. How could you not love her? Hell, you loved her," he pointed out.

"I certainly did. Don't take this personally, but she was the greatest ninja. She hadn't reached her full potential yet, but she would've amazing. Fucking war," Shego sighed and shook her head.

"Agreed." He also sighed and then he decided that was enough sharing. "Have you decided what we should do about the attack on the refugee island?"

"What can we do about that? Junior knows we can't go on the offensive."

"Yet you have one of my ninjas working on a chemical weapon or something," Shadow Hand grunted.

"Is that why you've popped up, even though I haven't left this place in a week? I have a ninja that you're not using and who would be driving the rest of the mountain crazy while also trying to kill himself if you did have him?" She rolled her eyes.

"I use him for training. They do need to train. So, are you going to return him?" he inquired.

"No, use a damn football dummy. It might actually be smarter than Shin. If he can make a break through to get us closer to offing Junior with this weapon, we're letting him do that."

"He's just blowing himself up. We both know that."

"Well, far be it from me to stop him from doing that while he comes up with a way to kill Junior. I'm not letting that fucking monster attack more sick kids and injured refugees," Shego declared.

Shadow Hand did not say anything. The rant was familiar. Shego was always outraged for months after Junior made some lowdown move during the war, but she could never really do anything about it. There was no way for their group to go on the offensive and assassinating Junior was more a dream than anything else. No one could get close enough to end him with a bullet, drug, or anything in between. Even when they did get close, luck, fate, the divine hand of God, or the protection of the Devil seemed to keep Junior from being seriously affected. Junior seemed to be proof that evil lived forever.

"But just maybe hope springs eternal, too," Shego said aloud, but to no one in particular as her eyes drifted back to the screen.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim leaned against a tree as she caught her breath. She had just fought off another group of predators. She was not sure how to classify them as they seemed like they were piranhas mixed with wasps. She was not too sure of the purpose of such creatures, but since she knew that DNAmy was in charge of the animals, she never expected much rhythm or reason to the entities that she encountered.

Aside from the predators, she had spied a number of different types of birds and many were mixed with animals that she could not readily identify. There were also several types of deer, rodents, insects, reptiles, and every animal in between. Some of the amalgamations that were created were obvious and others left Kim scratching her head. Even though it was artificial, she was still amazed by it.

"Amy is creative if nothing else," Kim said as she pushed off of the tree and continued on her way.

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a piece of fruit. She had fashioned herself a cup out of a leaf from a plant that had tried to grab her as she yanked the leaf. It held enough water to keep her hydrated, even though she had not strayed from her path and continued to follow the stream. It gave her a view of plenty of fish, which she planned to make a meal of in a few minutes. She just needed to find something to catch the fish with, which she suspected would be a stick.

She did end up spear fishing, which was fine by her. Making a fire was not much of a big deal for her, so she had cooked fish and it for lunch along with her fruit and some water. After the sunset, she considered that she was going to spend her first night in a tree because she was feeling confident in herself, but she changed her mind as soon as she got into the tree. Something more interesting caught her eye.

"Are those lights?" she wondered as she gazed out into the distance. Not too far from where she was, there seemed to be some lights, like from houses. Her curiosity was piqued and she went to go explore. Her mouth opened a little in amazement as she stumbled across the small village. "I wonder what the people's lives are like under Shego …"

With that random thought in her head, Kim added to her mission beyond just finding herself, even though it still entailed finding some answers. She decided that she would see how Shego's people lived and, if she could, she would travel to the east and see how those people lived. She would find out who the real monsters were.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Wade finds out that Kim's been using the Toltec while Kim finds out how people live in the country of Kimber.


	18. 2:5: The last hope

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

A/N: Sorry for the delay; real life sometimes doesn't corporate, though.

2.5: The last hope

Wade was looking into the Toltec's database on his laptop, which was connected to the machine, and saw what he felt were major anomalies. He did not understand why he was seeing the readings that he was. He decided to call the only person that knew about the Toltec and how it operated.

"Tatsu," Wade said into his kimmunicator.

"Yeah?" she answered in little more than a grunt.

He shook his head. "I need you to come down to the Basement. It's important."

"So important you need me this very moment?" she asked incredulously. "I'm trapped under a car right now."

"You're not a mechanic anymore. Stop pimping people's rides and get down here," he ordered with a laugh. No matter what, he knew that Tatsu's first love would be fixing cars, even if there were no real cars around anymore. He supposed if she ever got the chance, she would change that fact.

Tatsu grunted and disconnected the call. Wade knew he would not have to wait long for her arrival and he was correct as usual. She was in the Basement in about five minutes. She came to stand behind him and look over his shoulder at the laptop that he had open.

Wade got right to business. "Why am I looking at all of these simulations and data transfer in the Toltec?"

"Because the Toltec has been in use," she answered as if it were common knowledge. Of course, it was not. She was the only one that knew someone was using the Toltec.

His forehead wrinkled. "Huh? Who's been using the Toltec? Who turned the damned thing on?" he inquired in total confusion.

"It turned itself on. It took to Kim," Tatsu informed him.

"Kim Possible is quite the competent operator. I am honored to assist her," the Toltec announced. Wade jumped back and stared wide-eyed at the machine and then turned back to Tatsu.

"Yeah, it talks and crap," Tatsu reported with a bored wave of her head as if it that was completely normal.

"Since when?" Wade demanded with a scrunched up expression on his face.

"I have spoken since you finished with my programming, but found no need to speak with you as there was nothing to discuss. You both already know the details of my makings. I did reveal to Kim Possible this ability and volunteered to assist her in any way possible," the Toltec explained.

"Oh, yeah, and if you have any questions about the Toltec, make sure you ask it. He gets all touchy when you talk like he's a toaster," Tatsu informed her mentor.

"I would think my creators would be pleased to know that they invented and put together something beyond a large pocket watch," the Toltec commented.

Wade's brow wrinkled again. "He's sorta has Kim's sense of humor already."

"She's been working with him for like a month. I think it works that he picks up personality traits from what they do and from her," Tatsu replied with a shrug.

"Is that not how all personalities are formed?" the Toltec inquired. The mechanic shrugged in response.

"Okay, wait, you mean to tell me that the Toltec has been functional for a month and Kim has been using it without my knowledge? Have you at least been supervising?" Wade begged to know.

"Nope," Tatsu answered.

"Kim Possible and I do not require supervision. We work in tandem and have become quite adept in figuring out any functions that perplex us," the Toltec informed his somewhat irritated creator.

Wade snorted through his nose and frowned. "Of course you need supervision. One of us should monitor you and keep track of the findings," he argued.

"This is what the video and audio logs are for. Not to mention the copious amounts of analogue data that has been compiled on both Kim Possible and myself. You may go through all those items and find everything you need," the Toltec pointed out.

Wade glanced at Tatsu, who shrugged again. Wade scratched his head, unsure of what to make of what was happening. He hated that the Toltec had a point.

"Why the hell does this thing make sense?" Wade huffed, throwing his hands out to the machine.

"Because it's a computer," Tatsu guessed.

"I didn't really want an answer to that. Why is it that twenty years together and you not only don't know when I'm asking rhetorical questions, but also continue to keep things from me when we work together?"

Tatsu waved the question off. "You find out eventually. It always happens."

"You can't keep doing this to me. You're going to give me a heart attack or something and then where will we be?" he pondered and noticed that she was about to answer. "It was rhetorical, Tatsu. Okay, Kim's been using the Toltec for a month. So, we have a month's worth of data analysis for the machine and for Kim. Do you have any idea how much work that'll be?" Wade snorted and threw his hands up again.

"Funny, all I hear now is whining. We can sit down together. You take Kim's data since we both know biological information is beyond me and I'll take the Toltec and we'll get it done," Tatsu replied.

Wade frowned; Tatsu made it damned hard to remain upset. At least Trin would make some dry, witty remark back. Tatsu was just a bystander when it came to anger. Throwing his hands up for the third time, he resigned himself to his fate.

"Fine, pull up a chair," Wade sighed.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim stood on the outskirts of a village, just taking in the odd sight of the little hamlet at night. There were some lights on what appeared to be cottages. They were simple structures made of stone with thatched roofs. On the far end were farming fields, but no crops. She guessed that the crops had been harvested already. Turning her attention back inside, she noticed that there were narrow streets cutting through the village, but the homes were situated close together. There were lights glowing in the windows of some homes.

"I wonder how friendly the natives are," Kim muttered to herself. Of course, there was no better way to find out than to go in and see.

The redhead strolled into the village, onto what appeared to be the main road. It was wider than the other streets, but not very well lit. Still, the few lights that marked the path were better than the lack of lights down the alleyways. She did not think that she would be easily spotted, but within a minute of her being in the village, she noticed movement by the windows. People were watching her.

"Are they scared of outsiders?" Kim pondered, but was quickly proven wrong.

She barely made it two more steps before a man walked out of one of the houses with several others behind him. The first man, an older, thin gentleman, met her in the middle of the street while the others stood by near the house. He smiled as soon as he was face to face with Kim. The smile reached his very kind brown eyes.

"Hello, miss. What brings you to our humble slice of Kimber?" he inquired in an amicable manner, continuing to smile graciously.

Olive eyes blinked, a little surprised by his pleasantness. "Hi, I'm … well, a wanderer, I suppose," she admitted. She was not sure how else to put it, especially since she was just out wandering. She did not even have a destination in mind, so she could not be considered a traveler.

"A wanderer? Have you lost your way? Your family?" he asked with gentle concern slipping from his words.

Kim was silent for a moment. Yes, it was entirely true, but she did not want to admit it. To say that, it was almost akin to admitting that she was not Kim Possible. She did not know herself and she did not have any family around to identify her, except Trin. Of course, Trin recognized her, but to her, Trin was overlooking the obvious. Trin recognized the memory of Kim Possible, not what was left of Kim Possible. Trin recognized a last hope that Kim was desperately trying to feel.

Kim doubted that Joss knew her since it seemed to her that Joss did not know herself anymore. Or, perhaps, it was just that she did not know Joss anymore. If she did not know Joss, then surely Joss could not know her. And, of course, the tweebs, her baby brothers were nowhere to be found. So, yes, she had lost her way and her family. She had lost herself.

"There are many who have been through the same," he informed her gently, as if not wanting to scare her away.

"I suppose," Kim managed to answer. Of course, she doubted that was true, which only made her feel more lost and alone.

"You don't have to fear. Many have come through here just as you have. Come into my home. We have many sleeping mats and warm food," he offered, motioning to the house that he had just exited.

"I don't want to impose …" Kim hesitated.

"You would not be imposing. We must all help each other as much we can in these trying times. Kindness goes a long way," he replied with another smile.

Kim smiled, too. "That is a good philosophy. Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing? I don't plan on staying in your village for very long."

"All the more reason for you to come in and enjoy the night. Wanderers should have the strength to go on their way and find themselves and where they belong."

The redhead could only smile again. She decided to take the man up on his hospitality and see what other treasures lay within the village. She was surprised to find such kindness inside of a country controlled by Shego. She would have to see how far the generosity extended.

"Make way, make way," the man requested of the few others standing outside of his home.

The men parted without a word, but they did eye Kim. The redhead watched them as they watched her as she entered the house. Immediately eyes drifted in the direction of the door and Kim felt a little exposed.

"So, what have you found now, Ian?" a middle-aged woman inquired as she stepped over to Kim. She had kind gray eyes and a small smile graced her tanned features as she studied the new girl.

"A wanderer. We haven't been properly introduced yet, though," he replied.

"I'm Kim," the former hero said. She decided to leave off the "Possible" because she did not want to create a stir. If she had learned nothing else during her time with Ryujin was that her full name turned heads and caused ears to perk up.

"Oh, named after the Legend, huh? That's great. I can see why your parents did that. You sorta look like her. I don't know if you're old enough to remember her, but I can and you definitely got that look to you," the man said and then he held out his hand. "I'm Ian Domaci. That's my wife, Fran." He motioned to the woman with the gentle gray eyes.

"We're always happy to help a weary traveler and you certainly look like you could use the help," Fran remarked.

Kim glanced down at herself, not considering her appearance for the past few days. While she had bathed daily since she was following a stream and the weather allowed for it, she had been in the same outfit since she escaped the Onyx Manor. Living in a forest for a few days had not been kind to her clothes.

"Come, let's get you some hot food and introduce you to the rest of the family. I think one of my girls might be able to spare some clothes for you," Fran said while taking Kim around the shoulders.

The small house seemed to be filled, which meant that there were roughly twenty-five people inside. Kim was introduced to each one of them, many of them her age (well, the age she appeared) or younger. They were all quite friendly and helpful. They were eager to find out about her and share stories with her.

"This should be able to fit you," one of Fran's daughters offered a shirt and some pants.

"And this should warm your belly," Fran offered Kim some hot stew.

The redhead accepted the food and the clothing. She was glad for the meal more than the clothing after living off of fruits, nuts, berries, and burnt fish. She was allowed into their social circle as they chatted through out the night. Kim learned many things about the land of Kimber and the people from just a few hours with the very simple Domaci family.

"You have lovely grandchildren," Kim commented, speaking to Fran.

"Oh, yes, this family has been blessed. So many other people were left sterile or their babies were born with terrible birth defects because of all the chemicals and stuff in the air, but we've been blessed. Got five healthy babies of my own and they all got healthy babies of their own. We're probably the biggest family you ever met, huh?" Fran replied with a proud grin.

Kim could only nod, even though it was a lie. She just could not imagine a family of seven thinking that they were a large family, even with grandchildren. Yes, it would have been a big family in her own culture, but not huge like Fran made it seem.

"Now, we just got to work out how we're gonna feed everybody," Ian remarked. There was a slightly worried look in his eyes that belied his humorous tone.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"Ian just remembers a time when food was so abundant that it was sold on every corner, so he always thinks that if the harvest comes up a little short, we're all gonna starve to death," one of Ian's sons-in-law, Darren, brushed his concern aside.

"Besides, it's not like the Savior would let us starve to death," Darren's young son, a boy of five years, chimed in.

"Well, the Savior can't do everything, besides warn us to put away what we can," Ian pointed out.

"Which we did, so we'll be fine and should stop talking grown folks business around the children," Fran said and it was clearly an order for them to change the topic. "So, Kim, we were talking about families. What happened to yours?"

Kim glanced away for a moment. "Well, my family's been kind of broken up thanks to the war. My parents died and I don't know where my brothers are."

"This war takes something from everybody. It's such a shame. Are you looking for your brothers?" a young woman by the name of Lucy asked. She was one of Ian's daughters.

"I am," Kim confirmed because she felt like she was. Out of the many things she was wandering for, crossing paths with the twins was high on the list.

"Well, I wish you luck. Just be careful on the roads. There are still bandits in Kimber, even if the Savior sends people to keep the country clean," Fran warned.

One of the men chimed in. "Yeah, I heard Shego had to send out the Legend's last blood relative, the Demon of Kimber to wipe out some bandits to the west."

"Now, don't go telling scary stories when the children are about the go to bed," Fran scolded her son and the other women agreed with her. He offered a chuckle and a smile as an apology.

When the children were asleep, Kim asked more about the "Demon of Kimber" and was able to deduce that it was her own cousin, Joss. Joss had turned into an urban legend of sorts, going after bandits and other criminals in Kimber, playing judge, jury, and executioner if necessary and allowed. Kim did her best not to judge her cousin, but she had Batman-like rules when it came to killing people; it was something that was never done. There was no justification for killing, especially if a person was not even given a fair trial first. It did not seem to faze her hosts, though.

"So, Kim, do you have any idea of where to search for your brothers?" Fran asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to just try to find some clues. I'm pretty good at that," Kim replied with conscious modesty.

"Well, we wish you luck," Ian declared.

"Thank you. I wish you guys luck with the harvest," the redhead replied.

Ian smiled. "We should be fine. We've lived through it before. The Savior hasn't let us starve yet."

"You certainly have a lot of faith," Kim commented.

"Well, our leader hasn't let us down yet. We've had some setbacks, of course, but she does the best she can and we do the best we can. Times will get better. After all, Junior wasn't always in charge and he won't always be," Fran replied.

"That's a positive attitude," Kim said with a smile and a nod.

"I'm sure you can understand that. After all, you have a positive attitude regarding your brothers," Lucy stated. "Did you get split up during a battle or something?"

"Something like that," Kim replied. She was not sure how she could put how she got separated from her brothers. "It was definitely because of the war." Her brothers were nowhere to be found because of the war.

Fran sighed and shook her head sorrowfully. "This war takes something, someone from everyone. How long have you been separated?"

"A very long time. Years," Kim answered. _Well, decades_.

"Then I hope that you do find them soon. We all deserve family, especially in these times. This is why we're so happy that we've been blessed with such a large family," Fran said with another proud smile.

"I haven't had contact with a lot of people since I've been looking for my brothers. How big are families usually?" Kim asked.

"Sometimes people are blessed with one or two children, but it's always hard. It's miracle now to have five like us. A lot of people adopt or have makeshift families. We all need families and the support that comes with that, so sometimes you have to consider those closest to you family, even if there's no blood relation. Even the Savior had to do it," Ian explained.

Kim's brow wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

"It's not something broadcasted or anything, but her parents definitely died fighting in this war. It's rumored that Junior has her brothers. She's adopted the Elect around her as her family. We don't get many details in small villages like this, but word passes. Most of the Elect is like that with makeshift families. Most of Kimber is like that," Fran chuckled. "You need good people around you. Find them where you can."

Kim nodded and considered what she had been told. _Will I eventually have to adopt a family, too?_ It would seem that everyone else that she knew had done so. She wondered if her brothers had adopted a family of their own somewhere with new sisters and even new parents. And, then, she remembered that they were adults already, so they probably would not need new parents.

She could not help wondering what the twins looked like now. They were in their thirties, like Wade and Joss. Wade was not so completely different from what she recalled as far as his personality went, but Joss was definitely a whole new person. She wondered if the twins would be more as she remembered or brand new people.

The thought stayed on Kim's mind as she laid down for sleep. Fran made her a comfortable pallet. She was given warm down blankets and fluffy pillows. She slept the best she had in days and dreamed of happier times. Of course, some of the times seemed like nothing more than dreams since again she saw images of herself having coffee with Shego.

Kim was drawn from her sleep by the smell of breakfast. Fran and her children were up cooking, including her youngest two sons. Kim would have thought that teenage boys would object to cooking, but they seemed at home with it.

"Can I do anything?" Kim offered after folding up her pallet.

Fran spun around and gave the guest an incredulous look. "Goodness, no! You're a guest! You let me and the kids handle this. The food'll be ready in no time."

Kim stood back as ordered, but made sure to observe. She wanted to see the family dynamics as well as what was going into the meal and everything. She could tell that Fran and her children cooking together was the norm for them. She wondered if it was like that for other families. She wondered if gender roles and things had shifted in the twenty years since she had been gone and because of the harsh reality brought on by the world war. She did not ask about those things, but figured that she could get them to open up with a well-placed comment.

"You know, in my house, my mother did most of the cooking. No one else could be trusted near a stove," Kim remarked with a chuckle.

"Really?" the youngest son asked incredulously. "I've never heard of one person cooking in a house. How could everybody else be that bad with cooking?"

Kim laughed. "The worse part was that we liked to think we were a household full of geniuses who could do anything that we put our minds to, except cooking apparently."

The family chuckled with her. Kim noted that the family worked effectively together. They each worked on their own dishes; some alone and some helping each other. Fran handled some form of sausage and fried it in a pan; Kim was not sure what type of sausage it was. Two daughters worked on omelets with one handling the eggs and the other working on items to add. Just like the sausage, Kim was clueless about what type of eggs were being used, but they were much larger than she was used to seeing and the things added to the eggs did not look familiar beyond a couple of peppers. It seemed like much of the food that was eaten now was man-made. Kim wondered if chemicals and toxins had anything to do with that.

The boys were working on making fresh bread and they also seemed to be mixing a glaze to put on the bread. The final sister was cutting up fruit. Along with observing the family, Kim noted that the kitchen looked pretty much as she expected; it was almost like she remembered. So, apparently, they had electricity and running water. It was not completely the dark ages. Still, it was far cry from what Kim was used to.

The meal turned out to be very good, especially the fresh bread. When Kim said as much, the two teens that made the bread beamed with pride. Everyone chatted amiably, just like last night. It was almost enough to put Kim at ease, if only it did not remind her so much of breakfast with her own family. Times that she would never be able to have again.

"I'm going to get moving," Kim informed her hosts once the meal was done. "Thank you so much for having me."

"You're going to leave so soon?" Ian asked with concern.

"It has to be done. Sitting with you all just makes me think of how much I want to find my brothers. I _need_ to find my brothers," Kim answered.

"Then don't let us hold you up. But, please, allow us to send you off with some supplies. It's not safe for anybody to wander about on their own, even through Kimber. Hell, sometimes, I think the Legend herself wouldn't be able to make it through some of the tougher parts of the country," Fran announced.

Of course, that got a laugh out of Kim. She tried to object as Fran packed her a knapsack worth of goodies and things that she might need, including a large hunting knife. Kim did not see herself using the knife, but Ian insisted. They went so far as to give her a spare set of clothes on top of everything else. Kim could not believe the hospitality of people that she had not even done a favor.

"Thank you so much. Hopefully, I'll be able to repay this kindness in the future," Kim said with a smile.

"Don't be silly, child. In hard times like this, you have to be able to rely on each other. Our kindness to you will be repaid somehow, maybe not by you, but somehow. You just worry about finding your brothers," Fran told her.

Kim smiled more and had to fight back tears. The family watched her go on her way after warm farewells, which included hugs all around. In one night, the world made even less sense than before, but Kim felt somewhat comforted by the new twist. Though the world was at war, it was not a giant cesspool. It was a start.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego smiled as Kim came back into view on the screen. She had been a little worried last night when the redhead entered the strangers' home, but she knew that most people in Kimber were good, honest, hard-working people. Still, it was nerve wrecking to not be able to see Kim for the whole night and part of the morning. Shego had almost called some ninjas to go check on the house to make sure Kim was all right, but she was thankful that she held herself back.

"Good to know they didn't try to keep her," Shego muttered as she watched Kim walk off down the main road and out of the village. She noted the backpack and smiled again. It was great that they had sent Kim on her way with more than she showed up with. "Hey, somebody find this family and get them whatever the hell they want! And do it quick!" she commanded after freezing the screen on Ian Domaci and his family.

Footsteps pounded on the floor and fingers pounded on keyboards to carry out that order. Shego was then able to turn her attention back to work. Of course, she could only focus for a few minutes before her eyes drifted back to the screen to track Kim again.

"God, I hope this works out," Shego prayed.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego and Shadow Hand discuss the past while training and Kim steps her training up a notch.


	19. 2:6: Predator and prey

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. I don't own Dylan Thomas.

A/N: Sorry for the delay again, but real life is having a fun time kicking my ass.

2.6: Predator and prey

Kim was ready to make camp in the latest batch of woods that she found herself in. Checking the map on her kimmunicator, she found out that she was currently at the outer borders of Amy's territory of Eden. So, she was now going to expect to see a lot more jungles than the loose woods of Kane. She could also expect to see much more predators, which suited her quite fine. She was enjoying building up her skills by fighting off wild animals that seemed so desperate to devour her skinny hide.

"Haven't gotten close yet," Kim chuckled as she scanned the trees to see which one she would risk sleeping in.

It had been perhaps a week or more since she left the Domaci household; she had lost track of time and did not bother to check it on her kimmunicator. She was feeling better about everything, including her understanding of the world. She had wandered through two other villages in Kane and was met with similar hospitalities. People were always happy to feed her, give her a place to rest, and send her on her way with supplies. They also all seemed sympathetic to her search for her brothers. War had changed some people for the better, she thought, because she knew that twenty years ago, not as many would have been ready to help a complete and total stranger.

"It is sad that this what it takes to change some people, though," she muttered, shaking her head.

Of course, she knew that many of the people were kind because they all felt some kind of loss from the war. She had already run into her fair share of makeshift families. There were so many war orphans, but thankfully many people were glad to adopt children as well as each other. It was as Fran told her anyway, many people could not have children of their own, so adapting filled several needs. There were plenty of brothers and sisters that she ran into that were not related by blood at all, but were bonded through experience and compassion. People were just there for each other.

"Good things coming out of a horrible thing," Kim admitted.

And, then there were some not so good things that came out of the horrible thing and Kim was about to come face to face with that aspect again. Her guard was up before the bandits showed themselves. She had already faced off with one group of desperadoes a few days ago. It was certainly more educating than battling against predators wanting to eat her.

"Well, well, well, look at what we got here," a large man with what sounded like a very bad English accent commented as he leaped out of the bushes. He was dressed in grungy leathers.

"Nice little bit, ain't she?" another asked as he came in from the opposite direction. He was not quite as massive of the first fellow, but just as nasty looking. She could not place his accent at all.

"Bet we could have a lot of fun with her," a third said from behind the second man.

"Before we sell her off, anyway," a fourth said.

"Yeah, I bet a nice little jungle village would pay top dollar for a redhead. You know how nutty those lunatics go for anything that resembles their precious Legend," the first remarked, earning chuckles from the gang.

"Well, boys, you can try, but I promise you I won't go gently into that good night … Not that you would get the reference since it would mean you know how to read," Kim quipped with own confident smirk.

Honestly, she did not feel quite as cocky as she was showing. Her first scrap with bandits had not been a walk in the park like she had assumed it would be. They seemed to be former soldiers and combat experts. In the end, she had defeated them, but she had limped into the nearest village, needing medical attention. She quietly promised her that would not be the case now. _I won't require any type of assistance_, she assured herself.

"That sounded like a sweet invitation to me," the second guy replied with a smirk and he advanced with the others following his lead.

They all shared a smirk, including Kim. The fighting commenced and Kim discovered it was even more difficult than the first batch of rogues that she happened across. Dumping her bag on the ground, Kim gave the men her undivided attention and after a couple of seconds the favor was returned when they realized they were not messing with any wanderer.

"We got ourselves a live one!" one of them hooted.

"Probably used to be a Guard or something. You know how uppity they can be," another laughed.

"These aren't any Guard tricks," Kim said before doing on with a surprisingly well-placed kick to the face. Yes, she had surprised herself. While her fighting skills were improving exponentially, she was more than aware that she was not up to par. She was starting to feel like if she went out with Shego's army, she still would not last more than a minute if the bandits were all former soldiers.

The one rogue that she hit fell away while the other three closed it. Kim spun into a kick and landed it across two faces that time and could not help smiling. Unfortunately, the smile was quickly wiped off her face as the final guy punched her on the cheek. Grunting, she fell back, but was able to block his next attack.

Shoving him away, Kim stood in her defensive position as the others came back at her. Her hands more reacted than she consciously hit, but she preferred it that way. More often than not before her journey, she over thought her moves and second-guessed what she was doing. Every second she fought with the bandits, she found herself moving more naturally and more comfortably.

"You guys found me on a very good day," Kim commented as she landed several heavy punches into the gut of one of the men. He collapsed and it did not seem like he would be getting back up. The knockout certainly was a boost in the redhead's confidence.

"No, I think you found us on a good day, love," the massive one replied as he pulled a hunting knife as big as Kim. The others did the same.

"Hmm … no guns?" Kim said, if only to remain as normal as she possibly could. Knives did not bother or scare her, she reminded herself.

"You're lucky that bitch of a ruler keeps a very tight hold on guns."

She let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, lucky me."

The danger level for Kim was definitely amped up with the large knives involved. But, her body took over before anything else and she was attacking before she realized it. By the time her mind checked back in on the fight, the men were on the ground and completely unconscious. Kim laughed, even though she did not come away unscathed.

"I don't think that the old me would've gotten this cut up," Kim muttered as she inspected the various slice wounds on her arms. It appeared that she was cut about half a dozen times. Thankfully, she knew how to stitch and she had the supplies for it as well as bandages to cover stitches. "Not a bad day's work or a good day's work either, but I'm not dead … or frozen, so I should take this as a victory," she said to herself as she moved on.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego yawned and stretched, getting out of her chair and freeing herself from the drudgery of paperwork. She hoped that she managed to avoid a mini-famine with her ration's program, but, of course, someone would have to review her decision. She decided she would give it to Wade since he was good with deadlines and pressure … not to mention he was one of the few people she trusted that would not just say "screw it."

Now, it was time to work something other than her fingers and parts of her brain she wished that she could just turn off. "This ruling the world bullshit is for the birds," she complained.

Of course, it had never been her desire to rule damn near anything … except Iceland that one time and that was really just a brain-fart. She was certain of that. She often longed for the days where she could kick her feet up, read a magazine, and contemplate which fashionable boots to buy next.

"Those days are long gone. God, if I could just go back in time. I'd tell the young idiot I was to stay the hell away from Drakken … and watch out for cute redheads that you meet when they're jailbait," she joked as she marched off into her own private gym. "I might creep myself out with that, though, since I didn't really care until she helped with that little attitude problem I had."

Shego shook her head, trying to shake away the thoughts of her younger self. She did not want to think about how she used to be, what drove her, or even what compelled her to do so little with her life. The thought made her look down at her hands and she thought about her powers, which had come an extremely long way from twenty-three years ago.

"Well, I guess that's what I would get for letting DNAmy and Blondie chop me up," she chuckled.

She had allowed several very trusted people examine and prod her early in the war. The deceased doctors Possible had the most access, but eventually she allowed Trin and DNAmy just as much. Trin and her mother had been the ones that came up with a way to what they called "evolve" Shego. The more she used her powers, the more she advanced. She had to be constantly monitored, though. Blondie liked to remind her that there was a serious chance that death would be the product of her evolution.

"Good thing there's really only three things I want out of life before I die and I got one of them out of the way. Funny, their experiments would kill me while it's my blood and guts that help everyone else live longer. Well, not just my blood …" Shego reminded herself.

Her father had also volunteered to be a lab rat with her. His power came in very handy, especially when it was added to what the scientists dubbed the "green serum." Her father's power was actually a yellow glow and it had been a surprise to everyone to find out he had a power of any kind because he never seemed to use it. Only Kim's parents had understood the humor in her father having super-speed; he was lazier than Shego and Ron combined.

Her father hated his powers for the most part, but was pleased that they could be put to use in saving humanity. While she was nearly invulnerable, her father's ability allowed him to heal just about any injury in the blink of an eye and he never got sick because his body worked quickly enough to kill anything in his system before it became a minor nuisance. The scientists managed to make a serum accelerate healing and hasten the immune system's ability to fight off diseases.

"Now, if only they made something that could keep the man from being blown up," Shego sighed and put her hand to her chest. A pain in her heart caused her to grit her teeth.

The day she lost her parents would haunt her forever, especially since she had been there. They had died on the same day, which she supposed made sense because she could not picture either of them surviving without the other, even though her mother liked to pretend otherwise. A missile had hit her father by chance while he was battling it out with dozens of men and her mother was covered in pieces of the love of her life. Oddly enough, her father being blown up was the least disturbing thing that she saw that day considering what her mother did to almost fifty men before her downfall.

"At least she went out the way that she wanted. A warrior's death people would talk about for hundreds of years. Besides, she didn't have to see what happened to the boys. That damn sure would've killed her," Shego muttered as she tried to massage away the pain, pressing heavy on her chest.

Her brothers … she wondered what the green serum would have been like if her brothers' blood and tissue could have been harvested as well. She imagined that they would have provided one kick-ass serum. Instead … she shook her head.

"Best not to think about it. When I get that bastard Junior …" Shego growled and a green flare shot out of her nose.

"Really? Best not to think about your own brothers?" Shadow Hand inquired from behind Shego. She did not jump or flinch, being aware of his presence the second he entered the area.

She scoffed. "If I can't psychoanalyze you, shouldn't you return the favor?" She did not bother to question how he knew she was thinking of her brothers. They knew it each other much too well for either of their tastes.

"If only you'd stop psychoanalyzing me," he pointed out.

"Well, if only you weren't such a psycho."

"I guess you in here talking to yourself is better than you locked in the Dark Room staring at Kim," he stated.

"I'll have you know that Kim is doing quite well. She's been kicking ass all over Kimber. She looks like the old Kim Possible," Shego boasted.

"And you think that means anything? Even the old Kim Possible wouldn't last long in our world."

She shot him a sarcastic grin. "You are just a ray of sunshine, you know that? The old Kim Possible would have had twenty years to evolve."

"You're the only one who evolves around here. The rest of us just get better," he corrected her.

"No, this is the one thing that Kim and I have in common. She evolves. Kim is like a human pokemon," Shego remarked. She could hear him suck his teeth and she just chuckled. "Why are you late for our training session?"

"I have a life outside of guarding you," he remarked. "I do have a whole ninja school to look after."

She laughed a little. "I feel like this has to do with one ninja in particular."

"Doesn't it always?" he sighed. It was an exhausted sound and he shook his head.

"He makes life interesting. Dare I ask what he did?"

"I don't understand how the hell this monkey has lived through … well, once he gained the ability to crawl, I feel like he should've died. He decided that he's going to get into biological warfare."

"And do what with it? Give a bunch of damn Bebes the flu? A computer virus?" she teased.

"That would've actually been more helpful and intelligent. He's such a moron half the time, I forgot he actually is a genius in several areas. But, the plan here was to develop a biological weapon for use when he met Junior."

"I'm going to guess he messed up and gave himself the disease."

"Of course," the ninja confirmed.

"You left him to die then?"

"Of course not. Trin wasn't happy to be pulled away from whatever the hell she was doing to see to him either. Though I think she almost smiled when she saw him. She probably wanted to laugh, a lot. I know I did."

"Lemme guess, he gave himself syphilis," Shego offered.

"No, I definitely would've been laughing over that and you know I never laugh," he replied.

"I'd have laughed every time I saw him if he did. Hepatitis C then?"

"No, funnier."

"How does it get funnier than an STD?" she asked.

"The plague."

Laughing commenced and it was long and hard. "The plague? Only that moron!"

"He's suffering a lot. The boils and everything. He's quarantined for the moment, but when I left Trin was slapping him. I get the feeling that she was upset that he almost killed himself. I mean, yeah, Shin took the green serum just like the rest of us, but with some diseases …" Shadow Hand did not bother to finish the sentence, just waving the whole thing off.

"He really is the stupidest smart person I've ever met and that says a lot considering I used to hang out with Drakken," Shego remarked.

"I don't know. Sometimes, I think that Shin is just suicidal and he just doesn't know it."

"He's been crazier since his mom died, hasn't he?"

"Making him only the millionth person to go nuts after losing their mom, right?" he pointed out as if it was nothing.

"I know the feeling. I melted some guys after that happened, right?" she asked with a slight grimace. "The days after the moment are kind of hazy."

"Only the days? I'm surprised. You wiped out Hench's whole army. You're the reason he had to hook up with Junior after that. Hench actually had a good chance of being the winning Dragon until you devoured him. In fact, I think your madness was what lead the doctors P to think about your evolution."

Shego arched an eyebrow. "It was that wiggy, huh?"

"As Kim would say, major wiggy."

Shego chuckled and smiled. "You know you miss her."

"Aren't we supposed to be training?" he demanded in a very gruff tone.

"That's what Kim's doing."

He snorted. "Is it always about Kim with you? Being in love doesn't suit you in the slightest."

"So harsh. I deserve a little me time after putting up with all of this bullshit and having to babysit you. Not to mention having to babysit Trin and Shin. Hell, I should get a medal just not killing Shin. But, you were saying something about training?" she smirked and lit up her hands.

"I'll show you babysitting," he replied as he unsheathed the sword on his back.

Shego attacked, mostly because it got her mind off of her parents, her brothers, and Kim. It was only the latter that she liked to think about because memories of Kim did not bring her pain or a sense of failure. She liked what she was seeing with Kim and she hoped that eventually the former hero returned to them. Of course, she wished the same of her brothers.

"Hey, focus on me and stop thinking about your brothers," he ordered as he sliced at her.

Shego moved just in time to avoid losing her head. "I can let my mind wander anywhere it damn well pleases since you swing that thing with all of the finesse of a baseball bat," she teased.

Shadow Hand did not respond. Witty, fun banter was not a huge thing with him. Of course, his silence never stopped Shego from running her mouth as much as she could.

"Dude, for all you monkey mojo, you still can't land a good punch," she remarked, ducking his attack and countering with her own. A plasma blast knocked him back, but he was not down for long.

He came back at Shego with a vengeance and she gave as good as she got. There were sparks of blue and green flying all over the reinforced room. They treated their training sessions as actual fights, known to almost kill each other during slow times. They simply trusted the doctors to put them back together, so they could go at it again during the next session.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was on her way and merrily munching what she was certain were a cross between strawberries and blue berries. She was limping a bit, but that was nothing new. She had just finished a fight.

"I might need to find a safer system between fights. These bandits keep pulling knives and other weapons. If they can wound me, I definitely can't keep up with anyone else. I can't go on the battlefield like this," she groaned.

Of course, she was discounting the fact that she had just taken down a group of ten armed men. While she was certain that she was more herself than ever before, she still knew that she would never be able to stand with Wade and the others. She needed something more.

"Why didn't I think of this before?' Kim slapped herself in the forehead. "Well, I have to hope it works."

She turned her attention to her kimmunicator. She had been using it as a map for the most part. She knew that it could probably be used to track her, but apparently no one was bothering. She did not speculate on why that was, but was quite thankful for the time alone.

"Kim Possible, are you finally contacting me?" the Toltec's odd somewhat mechanical male voice inquired. He actually sounded relieved.

"Finally?" Kim echoed.

"Yes, when you departed, you should have notified me. We are partners, are we not?"

"We are. I didn't think you'd notice if I'd leave for a little while."

"We are partners. With you gone, I have once again been banished to this so-called Basement with no one worthy enough to test my limits and advance my systems. By the time you return, I might as well be a massive paperweight."

Kim laughed. "You still have that sense of humor we got you after a few days of practice."

"It, too, is slowly departing. I'll have you know, my creators have been with me every day analyzing our data and I have barely had a witty word for them."

"Wade and Tatsu checking up on us, huh?"

"I was unable to hid the data from them. Should I have done so?"

"No. I mean, Tatsu knew we were working together and I'm sure Wade is just happy that you finally turned on."

"Your logic rings true."

"Was that not the case?" Kim asked.

"Wade seemed to radiate the emotion known as anger and annoyance in the beginning. He is now over it and fascinated with the data that we recorded. When shall you return, Kim Possible? I wish to improve and gather more data to learn more things."

"Well, I was actually hoping we could do that while I was on the road. You're connected to my suit and my kimmunicator, right?" she inquired.

"Of course."

"Then you can still gather data, on me, the places I've been, the terrain I've traveled on. You can basically download everything I'm going through," she pointed out.

"This is correct. Start the data transfer, Kim Possible."

Kim chuckled. "I have to teach you the words 'please and thank you,' Toltec. You are one rude Paladin."

"I have a monotone voice simulation. I do not have the tone inflections to be considered rude."

"It's not always about tone. Every now and then it is about the words we chose. So, from now on, whenever you want me or anyone else to do something, you should use the words 'please and thank you.' It'll get things done in a smoother manner. I've noticed sometimes it gets things done faster, too."

"I shall store the information away with all of the other many things you have cleared up for me. Have you contacted me for a specific reason? Might we somehow continue training, even though you are gone?"

"Can you produce a simulation of any of the Elect fighting? I want to practice on my martial arts, which I've been doing, but I'd like to fight against powerful and proper martial artists."

"That is brilliant, but why did you need to leave to achieve this?"

Kim sighed. "I needed to leave for a lot of reasons. This actually wasn't one of them. I definitely could have done this there."

"Kim Possible, I am trying to do what you requested, but my systems are limited."

"Then you need practice, too. Run through the network and see if you can find data on the martial artists. Take the information that you find and create a simulation. Then, you can project what you make from my kimmunicator and I can fight the simulation. In theory, we should be able to connect it where I feel the hit in my power-suit, so that it's not like fighting a ghost," Kim explained.

"That sounds quite simple."

"You almost sound surprised," she chuckled.

"Again, monotone, Kim Possible."

Kim laughed again while finding a space to spend the night and continuing to speak with the Toltec. As simple as she made it sound, they had trouble figuring out exactly how to do it. It was good, though. It gave them both a chance to explore the Toltec's computer capabilities and Kim's computer intelligence.

"Kim Possible, this could be dangerous," the Toltec announced as they finally found the information that they were looking for.

"How so?" Kim asked.

"It is quite dangerous to send anything wireless as it does run the risk of being intercepted."

"There are more than enough secured networks for us to do this, Toltec. Besides, it lowers the risk that it is transferring data between the two of us and we're completely synced. We can also disguise the simulation."

"How so?"

"We'll combine all of the data we've collected into one faceless, nameless simulation. It'll end up a random amalgamation of everyone and therefore useless to anyone but me. I mean, if you want to know how Shego fights or how Trin fights or anyone, you wouldn't be able to figure it out through this simulation because it's everybody."

"Good idea. This is why I enjoy working with you, Kim Possible. You think things through and you think, I believe they call it 'outside the box.' I feel like I can learn much from you and your way of thinking."

Kim laughed again and smiled. "We'll definitely work together more. I'm sorry I just left. I needed to get away, though."

"You do not need to apology. I do not feel emotions, so there is no reason for you to try to soothe them."

Kim scoffed. "You say that now, but not too long ago you were whining about how I left."

"That is highly impossible. I cannot whine."

"Yeah, yeah, monotone voice and all. You keep telling yourself that. Toltec, I'll get in touch with you later. I have to get some sleep before my night gets as interesting as it has been since I left." Nighttime meant nocturnal predators and they liked to wake her up at the dead of night to fight for her life.

"Return when you can."

"I will." Kim ended the communication on that. As she found a place to sleep, a nice distance in a tree, she smiled to herself. The Toltec missed her. That was funny for a device who claimed to be an unfeeling machine. She wondered if Wade and Tatsu fully understood what they created. Hell, she wondered if the Paladins fully understood what they were considering the way the Toltec behaved.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim pushes the boundaries while Shego and the others find themselves in a battle for their lives … again.


	20. 2:7: Paradise lost

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.7: Paradise lost

Kim finished her morning workout with a painful smile on her face. She had sparred with the simulation that she and the Toltec created the day before. They needed to work on it, but for a first try, it was everything that she wanted. It gave her the workout of a lifetime and did not kill her.

The simulation was a faceless, purple hologram that moved a little oddly and faded in and out more often than not. It reminded Kim of a skipping record sometimes, but it got the job done. It used all the styles from Shego and her close circle. Whenever it landed a blow, Kim felt a small shock through her battle-suit. In the end, Kim had to cancel the session because the simulation was kicking her butt.

Once the simulation was done, she contacted the Toltec directly. "Yes, Kim Possible," the Paladin answered.

"Did you get all of the data?" she asked.

"It is all logged. I shall organize it and then send it back to you. Is there anything I should do besides this task?"

"Work on getting the simulation to move more realistically. There were a bunch of glitches and hesitations on its part. Run the data and go through any holes that you might find. If you can't find the glitches, we can do it together," she answered.

"I shall try on my own. I must do my part for this to be a partnership. We are partners, Kim Possible," the Toltec reminded her.

Kim smiled. "I know we are. Fine, you crunch the numbers. I should be heading toward the Sea of Despair. Try to get everything back to me before I get there because the thick canopy might interfere with our transmission, like when we I was in that jungle."

"I believe 'that jungle' was named the Go forest."

"Stop being a know-it-all. Just try to get me the information before then. I'll actually wait for the information."

"You may continue on. I will send you whatever I am able to do on my own. I think we would work best if we were together," the machine reasoned.

"One day, Toltec. One day." Kim was not sure how true that was. She was not sure if she was ever going to go back to the Obsidian Manor, even though her older sister and cousin were there. Her brothers were out in the world somewhere and they might need her. Hell, part of her thought that she might need them.

While waiting for the Toltec to get the information back to her, Kim ate some breakfast to keep her energy up. She wandered the land around the Sea of Despair. She felt certain that she was ready to brave the giant swamp on her own and come out the other end with no problem. She just wanted to make sure she had her training routine down before she came out the other side of the looking glass.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. Hell, I know how crazy this is and I don't even live here," Kim mumbled to herself, scratching her head. "But, I have to know what's going on. I have to be able to make my own decisions. I have to be able to be myself."

It was that simple. When the Toltec sent her back the data and the updated sparring simulation, she took off. She went into the Sea of Despair with her head up and her senses on alert, knowing, just _knowing_ that she would come out the other end.

-8-8-8-8-

"Shego, we have a problem," Wade announced as he marched into the throne room.

"Junior attacking?" Shego guessed. The bastard had been silent for way too long. She did not trust him, especially when they were already stretching their resources thin because of the food shortage. He always knew how to make a bad situation worse.

"No, but almost as bad. Have you been watching Kim lately?" he inquired.

Shego shook her head. She had finally managed to stop watching Kim every second of the day in favor of governing the entire Western hemisphere of the world. She had seen Kim grow back into herself and beyond, so she felt comfortable enough to get back to work. She just wished that once Kim was ready, she would come back to them. She could take Kim hating her as long as the younger woman hated her close by.

"Shego, Kim is going into the Sea of Despair," Wade informed her.

"She can handle it," Shego replied, waving him off.

Wade balked and his jaw practically hit the floor. "She can handle it? Have you actually lost your mind? This is the Sea of Despair! We've lost seasoned soldiers in there! She might think it's safe because Gill's gone, but there are things in there just as bad as him!"

"I know that, nerdlinger. I've been there before, I've seen the carnage, even got the t-shirt to prove it," she remarked.

"Then we've got to pull her back. She doesn't know what she's going into. She doesn't know her way around. Hell, what if she does make it out of there and then decides to go across the fucking Mountains? What then?" he demanded.

"She's not going over the Mountains. Calm down."

"She might! She's crazy enough to have left the safety of the Obsidian Manor to go gallivanting across Kane and Kimber, getting into all sorts of trouble!" he pointed out.

Shego sighed and cast bored eyes at her friend. "Wade, she's getting back to herself and finding her place in the world. What don't you and the dark knight back there get about that?" she asked, jabbing her thumb at her silent sentinel, Shadow Hand.

"The fact that Kim's not immortal might be the start of what we don't get. You can't just let the hope of the world wander off on her own anywhere she wants to!" Wade objected.

"I can't let? The last time I tried to order Kim to do something for her own safety, she damn near got herself killed. I have to let that bird fly. If she gets into any real trouble, I'll be there, but for now, I have to let her do this. Why don't you understand that? You can't keep worrying about Kim as if she's some child. She's Kim. Kim fucking Possible."

"She's heading off into the fucking Marsh, Shego! You have to do something! She could die in there!"

"She could die anywhere, Wade. One of the consequences of being alive is dying. Now, if Blondie isn't in here breathing down my neck about it and Joss isn't in here crying about it, why are you here?"

"Because I have emotions!" Wade snapped.

"Oh, low blow, Load. Blondie can't help that she's made of ice and I can't help being a bitch obviously. I think you're starting to forget what I'm like, Wade. Kim is around and her memories haven't quite sorted themselves out and you're acting like her reality is your reality. Am I the bad guy again, nerdlinger?" she posed the question with an arched eyebrow.

"It's not like that and you know it! It's about Kim going off on her own in places we wouldn't send a fucking troop of Guards and you're sitting around letting it happen!" he barked.

Shego wanted to go bang her head against a wall. "If you're so worried, how about you take the time out of your life to go pick her up?" she suggested. "You're so fucking hyped up about this, go take a plane or one of your wife's mutant birds and go get her. Simple as that. I won't stop you or anything."

Wade's face twisted into a fit of rage. Shego was tempted to make fun of him because he was irritating the hell out of her with his attitude. Yes, she understood that Kim was in danger, but she accepted that it was what Kim wanted. It was what Kim needed.

Wade opened his mouth, undoubtedly to say something even more biting toward Shego. But, an unfortunate event kept that from happening. Shego would have rather been cursed out than listen to the alarms sound. There was a flurry of activity while Shego and Wade groaned.

"I guess you can tear into my ass later," Shego said to the engineer and then turned her attention to everyone else in the room. "What the hell is going on, people? Fill a leader in!" she hollered.

"Bebes coming in from the south! It looks like they're heading for the refugee islands again!"

"Fuck. Let's move it, people! Mobilize," Shego ordered while wondering what the hell Junior was up with attacking the weakest amongst her kingdom again. _Because he's a heartless bastard_, she reminded herself. Of course, there was also the fact that he knew she and the Elect showed up at every battle, so he always had a chance to get rid of them without destroying the more beautiful countryside of Kimber or killing off the subjects that he wished to reign over.

"This isn't done," Wade informed the western ruler before rushing off to prepare for battle.

"Of course not, that would make my life easier, after all," she remarked with a frown. _If only something came up roses for me around here_.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim pushed her way through the Sea of Despair and could not help laughing as she came through the other side on top. She let out a long, almost feral growl as she emerged to face her next challenge: the Mountains. She did not even view the massive rocks as an obstacle, but mere steps in her path to reclaim herself.

"I can do this. No problem, just like the Swamp. This is no problem. I can do anything. I can do anything!" Kim proclaimed in a hearty tone.

She almost wanted to pound on her chest, but her moment was interrupted. "Kim Possible, you are about to cross the border. This is a dangerous idea," the Toltec informed her.

"We've gone over this, Toltec. I have to do it. Stop telling me that something is dangerous. I have to do it," Kim insisted.

"Your presence might be more appreciated here. Junior has attacked again and there are Bebes attacking more refugees. We could be a great deal of help in the combat. I am certain my creators would allot you the opportunity to take me into the battle."

Kim chuckled as she moved toward the mountains. "Is that what this is really about? You want some action, Toltec?"

"We have gone over this, Kim Possible."

"Yeah, so stop calling me Kim Possible," she remarked with a laugh, gripping the first of many rocks.

"Kim, I have no desires. I am a machine and I am stating facts. Our skills could be necessary to win the battle and limit the deaths."

"Well, Toltec, I have been on the move for the past couple of months as far as I know. I don't think I would get back soon enough to do much of anything," Kim pointed out. She then grunted as she heaved herself up the mountain. She suspected there was a secret trail somewhere on the mountains to make it easier for refugees to come from the East to the West. She just needed to find it.

"You are correct, but Junior is likely to attack again. You should be here to use me," the Paladin pointed out.

"I can't use you, Toltec. I can't trust myself to fight in this war until I'm comfortable with myself. I'm not comfortable with me yet. I'm not comfortable with the idea of fighting in a war that I don't know much about either. Give me time. Shego and the others have been holding their own for twenty years without me. I'm sure they'll be able to carry on without me."

Kim could have sworn that it sounded like the Paladin grunted before it spoke. "Carrying on as they have been is not winning battles, Kim. Slowly, but surely Junior is winning this war. He has unlimited soldiers. He will soon overwhelm all of the West and control the world. You could stop that."

Kim growled. _I could stop it because I can do anything_. But, for some reason, that thought did not ring totally true to her. It still felt like she was a shell of a Possible. She could not be the person she once was in this world. That thought enraged her, though, and she growled again as she pushed herself faster up the mountain.

"Toltec, I wouldn't be of any use right now. Just let me do this," Kim pled.

"I will continue to look out for you, Kim. You are the only person who can use me properly. I am useless sitting in storage," he reminded her.

"Well, I am useless until I figure myself out. I wish you would just understand and respect that," she huffed.

"I cannot understand this. You are capable. I have seen the data, after all. Your fighting ability is as it was when you were a hero. Perhaps beyond when you were a hero. Now, you should be a hero again and use me," the machine insisted with passion that she was sure it would deny having.

"I don't think you'll ever get this, Toltec. My fighting ability isn't the issue anymore. I know I can fight, but I can't fight well enough to stand with my friends … The few that are left. I'm just not me anymore. There's something missing and I have to find it. I can't explain it," she sighed.

"Then I am to rot in the garage?"

"You almost sound bitter," she chuckled.

"Monotone."

"I know. I know. Toltec, I'm not going to let you rot, but I told you that I have to do this. So, can you just let me do this? If I'm not back in a couple of months, you can bug me about this all you want."

"I will keep count of the days then."

"Can you also keep an eye out for a path? I doubt I can free climb this whole range of mountains," she said with a laugh.

"I will do the best I can. Communications are difficult once you leave the inner workings of Kimber."

"Understood, Toltec. Just do your best."

"You say that, but I am aware that you expect me to do it. I have read everything about you and everything is stored in my data files. I have also worked with you to know what you truly mean, Kim," the Toltec said and she could have sworn that she heard some laughter in his monotone voice.

"Oh, yeah? And what do I actually mean?" she asked with an amused smile.

"You expect me to be able to do anything because you expect yourself to do anything. You do not view the rest of the world in such a manner, but you believe that I should be able to keep up with you after having the nerve to chose you as my partner and operator," he explained.

Kim only laughed; he nailed that one to the point that she had not even realized it until it was said out loud. The Toltec had expectations of her, but she also had expectations of the Toltec. She assumed that Wade and Tatsu would build a machine that could not only keep up with her, but also with her demands. So far, she had been correct of course. The Toltec surprisingly liked to whine, though, not that it would admit it since whining would mean it had emotions.

"Toltec, you keep up with me every time I ask you to," she eventually informed the suit.

"Well, it is either keep up or be the world's largest paper weight. I doubt I could be fit onto a desk, so might as well make myself useful," the Toltec replied.

Kim snickered. "I really shouldn't be a smartass around you anymore. You're picking up all of my habits."

Of course, aside from being a smartass, the Toltec picked up plenty of good habits from Kim. Like the fact that the machine never quit when given a task, even if it did not know what it was doing at first; the Toltec had learned to wing it about three days into partnering with Kim. So, the machine was able to find and send Kim a path through the mountains very quickly.

"What will you do once you get over the mountains?" the Toltec asked Kim.

"I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Or, rather, that desert," she replied. On the other side of the mountains was the largest desert in the world, after all.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego snarled as she put her hand through yet another Bebe. She felt like they just kept coming. The waves were so endless that she had actually stopped talking several minutes ago. She noted Shadow Hand glancing over in her direction every now and then; he thought he was getting away with it since he wore a mask that covered his whole face. She just could feel his eyes on her, knowing her worried over the fact that she no longer had any smartass comments. It was just she was tired.

"Ah! Just go away!" Shego hollered as she blasted another robot. Before she ended up just shouting her frustration to the world, someone else joined her and her bodyguard. "Shadow Eyes, what are you doing here?" she demanded.

"You're supposed to be commanding the ninjas," Shadow Hand hissed into the comm unit.

"I know what I'm supposed to be doing," Shadow Eyes replied while engaging in the battle with an ease that made it seem as if she had been there the whole time.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Shego inquired.

"Despite the overwhelming odds and the fact that the skies had filled with Bebes –" Shadow Eyes started to spin a powerful tale only to be cut off.

"The abridged version, dammit," Shego commanded.

"What? Come on! You have to let me tell it with the dramatic flare or it just seems like we dismantled a bunch of boring damn robots!" Shadow Eyes huffed. She seemed to want to stomp her foot, as she had a habit of doing when she was upset, but instead kicked the head off of a Bebe.

"You wiped out all of the Bebes at your end?" Shadow Hand asked, cutting through several Bebes trying to surround him.

"We handled them soundly. Most of the reinforcement Bebes that were flown in have come right for you and Doctor Blondie," Shadow Eyes remarked with a chuckle.

"Remember what happened last time she heard you calling her that," Shego pointed out.

"I can run much faster now," Shadow Eyes laughed.

Shego chuckled a bit too and struck up a dialogue with Shadow Eyes, which bugged Shadow Hand. He was standing with the most talkative ninjas he had ever seen, but they got the job done, so he did not say anything. Besides, if he had said something, they would just start ranting at him instead of each other.

With the extra person, it did not take much time for them to ruin the Bebes attacking them. Once the fighting was over, the Westerners returned to the capital and Shego sat in the throne room, thinking. Something about the attack on the refugee island bothered her and it had nothing to do with the fact that Junior had once again targeted the weakest members of society; to him, they were the most useless and acceptable losses for the larger and stronger population of Kimber.

"What the hell is he doing with attacking the refugee islands, though? Those won't bring him any closer to the country. Well, unless he kills one of us," she mused aloud. "I guess if he keeps attacking those islands, he does stand a good chance at offing one of us eventually. But, why pour it on for me and Doctor Blondie?"

"Possibly because you're the leader of the free world," Trin pointed out as she entered the room. She carried a few folders with her.

"Yeah, but still if he took me out, one of you would step up and take my place. After all, that's how I got stuck with this stupid job," the older woman countered. She reached out and held her hand out for the files, knowing they were for her. Trin slid them into her palm.

"Wade, probably. He's still half-sane."

"You would follow Wade?"

Blue eyes rolled. "I follow you, so that should let you know how far I would debase myself to avoid seeing Junior control the planet."

"Now, your attitude makes me wonder why you ever bother. I have to wonder about Junior going after you. What business did he have with you and Shin undoubtedly."

"Maybe Shin fucked him recently and Junior isn't interested in exploring his sexuality now," Trin remarked dully.

"I doubt Shin would even do that as crazy as he is. There has to a reason Junior sent more Bebes to us than to the ninjas or to Wade or even to Amy. Does he think you're my second in command?" Shego wondered aloud.

"I don't think even Junior is that stupid. He has fought me several times and he knows how I can be. He knows there is no way in hell I would take your job, no matter how dead you are," the blond pointed out.

"This is true. But, I still wonder why he would send all of the backup Bebes to the two of us. Was anyone with you? Maybe we had all accidentally ended up in two places?" Shego proposed and scratched her forehead.

"No, it was just me and Shin, as usual. Wade was on the opposite end of the island with Amy backing him up. Maybe since he hasn't been successful in eliminating us all at once, he's decided to better his odds by taking out one or two of us at a time," the doctor replied.

Shego nodded. "I suppose that could be it. Still, why you? Does he know you've been working on new weapons to tear into him?"

"I doubt it since you, I, and Shin are the only ones who know."

"Yeah, but these walls leak like rusty faucets." Shego frowned and her whole body tensed.

Trin waved off the concern. "Don't wrack your brain over it. Junior is erratic at best and psychotic at worse. You know this."

"I know. It just bothers me when he starts going off script. The last time he did that eventually he blew up an entire city."

"I know, Shego. I was there, remember? We have to keep an eye on him then. Let's step up surveillance and double our so-called intelligence. Do you want to finally collect Kim back, also?" Trin asked.

"Kim …" Shego's eyes drifted to where she usually kept the screen up of Kim to find out where she was and see what she was doing. She had turned it off to stop distracting herself and then there was the battle. She had not seen Kim in days.

Just as she was prepared to see what the redhead was up to, the alarm sounded, alerting them to an emergency meeting that was being called. All of the officials in the Obsidian Manor needed to meet in a conference room; undoubtedly to discuss the food shortage and the fact that Junior had basically just killed nearly five hundred refuges for no reason. Shego sighed and left the room with Trin.

"I really miss the days I didn't have to do anything," Shego muttered.

"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it," Trin remarked and that earned her a sour glare from the dictator.

-8-8-8-8-

"Report, Mirage," SSJ commanded as he leaned back in his chair.

"After returning from battle, many officials that were in the capital city of Isabella had an emergency meeting. It was not to discuss the battle so much as it was to discuss the death of nearly a thousand new citizens of Kimber. With the food shortage, they feared that so much death would trouble the nation further. They seem to take the food shortage more seriously than the idea that they could be wiped off the face of the Earth tomorrow."

SSJ frowned deeply. "Neither Shego nor that meddlesome blond woman was injured?"

"Negative, sire. Shego and Doctor Possible are fine and attending the meeting about the food shortage."

His frown deepened. "Sounds like they aren't taking me seriously. But, it also sounds like they're having some trouble."

"Affirmative."

"There has to be a way to make it worse," he mused aloud.

"Sire?"

"I do not wish to kill everyone, of course, but there has to be a way for this small problem to get somewhat bigger. If anything, I can kill the people's faith in Shego. If they lose faith, she would no longer have a reason to fight because they would not be with her anymore. I think I shall put Hench on this job. Drakken would be more likely to devise a poison to murder the whole continent than anything else. Speaking of Drakken killing people, do you have anything new on Kim Possible?"

"Affirmative. After the battle that she had been wounded in, Kim Possible withdrew from sight for days. She later emerged in better shape than she had been in before and seemed to get better daily. She has again withdrew from sight and word has not been spoken of her for the last two, almost three, months."

SSJ's frown deepened. "You mean to tell me that she disappeared at first for a few days and was suddenly better, but now it's been months? Why haven't you reported on this before?" he demanded.

"You failed to ask about Kim Possible and I do not perceive her as a threat or vital to my mission."

There was a loud snarl and a heavy fist smashed against Junior's desk. "You foolish machine! Do you need to be brought in and dismantled? I do not care of your perceptions! Only your observations and information on my enemies and Kim Possible is my enemy! I will destroy her, Shego, and the rest of those worthless bastards for standing in my way! I will destroy you if you fail me! Now, find out more about Kim Possible and how the hell she ended stronger after hiding herself away!"

"Yes, sir!" He almost thought he heard irritation in Mirage's voice, but dismissed that. She was a robot, after all; they did not have emotions or feelings.

SSJ disconnected the communication and decided to get into contact with Jack Hench. Technically, Hench was not one of his generals, but he might as well have been a member of Junior's war machine. Shego could not afford Hench for anything that she might need and Hench had taken territory on Junior's side of the world, marking his allegiance as far as Junior was concerned.

"What can I do for you, Emperor SSJ?" Hench inquired as he answered the call.

"I have two problems that I think you might be able to help me solve. One, the West seems to be experiencing one of their infamous food shortages. Is there someway for you to make it a little worse?" Junior suggested.

"I think that I could make that happen. I have some small machines that I have named Locusts. They were actually developed by the lovely Bebe Queen herself and my teams have been playing around with the idea, thinking they might come in handy one day. They would eat whatever we programed them to and we could simply turn them off once they have done the damage that you wish them to do," Hench explained.

"That sounds excellent. I'm guessing this idea came up after the last mini-famine that Shego's side endured."

"It did. We figured it was best to be prepared the next time that she was weakened. What's the other problem that you need dealt with?" Hench asked.

"I might be in need of Hyperion. I wish to wipe my enemies off the Earth now while they are weak," Junior answered. _And before Kim Possible returns to form_.

"He is at your service, Emperor."

"Good. Send him. I will have to work out a line of attack to make sure not to much of paradise is purged."

The call was disconnected at Junior's whim. He then smiled to himself, thinking that victory was beyond near. He could already taste the sweet fruit of victory; it tasted like plums, which could only be found in the forests of Kimber.

"Hmm … perhaps it's time that I go visit the wife. Work off all of this happy energy," he muttered and pushed himself his chair. A sinister smile spread across his face as he walked out of his office.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim enters forbidden territory and how Junior spends his free time.


	21. 2:8: When in Rome

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

Warning: domestic violence and implications of rape.

2.8: When in Rome

Kim had managed to survive the massive desert that had been on the other side of the Mountains as she entered Junior's territory – Neo Roma. When she said it, even in her mind, the name made her want to giggle. It was not just the odd faux-Latin vibe that came with it, but the idea that Junior thought of himself as a Roman Emperor.

"Well, I guess he might be along the lines of Augustus' successors. I can see him being indulgent toward his own demented needs like Tiberius and Caligula and Nero," the redhead commented.

She still could not believe that Junior had turned into some sort of psychopathic monster. Sure, his father had been a villain, but most of the time, Junior just seemed like he was along for the ride. Yes, he tried a few times to do things on his own, but even those did not seem very serious. She doubted that she would ever forget when he stole a bunch of items, including a singing bear, in order to start an exclusive club. He stole a cookie recipe once for goodness sake and even to do that he needed Shego with him. Junior needed someone pushing him, someone forcing him forward or he would never do anything that did not have to do with hedonism. So, it was hard to imagine him with enough motivation to make war with the entire world and then manage to take over more than half of it.

"And destroy a lot of what he didn't take," Kim reminded herself. "And, apparently, much of what he did take."

It just did not add up to her. She knew that Junior had come on like the devil himself when his father died based on what she read and based on what Trin and Wade told her. She supposed that he could be trying to capture his father's dreams, but he definitely was not doing it in the manner that Senior would have wanted or even had taught him. Senior never would have approved of taking so many lives and sending the planet into ruins. It was like Junior was beyond insane and Kim was not sure what to make of him.

"But, then again, who can make sense of the deranged?" Kim asked.

Trying not to dwell on it, she shook her head of the thoughts. She noted that the desert was as dead as she read about. She had not seen much wildlife, even at night. There were not many cacti around either. She was lucky that she had the Toltec send her directions as she was able to stick to places not as scorching as the desert was supposed to be. She had seen images of places where it was so hot, the sand and rocks flowed like molten rivers. Twisted metal of a forgotten, dead world loomed out of the dried and broken ground and new rock formations. Bones of the departed had turned much of the sand white with their dust.

Kim had walked through much of the cracked ground and noticed that there were very few bare shrubs. She had to force herself to stay vigil and conscious in between places where the Toltec assured her that there would be water. Sometimes, the water would be gone and she just pressed through. She survived a trip through one of the most deadly wasteland on the planet yet again. Now, she wondered what was ahead of her. She had only read vague reports on Neo Roma, so it would be most informative to see things with her own eyes.

Reaching the outskirts of the desert, the first thing that she witnessed was a city. It looked much more modern than anything that she had seen in Kimber, but still not something that she was used to. The buildings were white and none of them were over seven stories tall. As she got closer, she saw what looked like Spanish styled villas and empty streets.

"Kim, you are about to enter Henchipolis. It is the main city of the state controlled by Jack Hench. There could be electronic monitoring, so we should be careful. I will keep an eye on it from here. You should do the same," the Toltec informed her.

"I know. I'll be careful," Kim replied.

"Is there anything that I should report? My creators have been monitoring my systems, so they know that I am in contact with you and storing data for you as well as giving you information. They seemed worried when the last time they were here and saw that you had headed into the Satan's Living Room, I believe they called it. I had to look it up and found out that it is the local term for the Great Desert."

Kim chuckled. "At least they're helping you by having you look stuff up, even if they don't know it. They don't have any reason to be worried yet. I'm fine and they should know that if they've seen the data."

"Tatsu did want me to transfer a program to you. She says that you should be able to figure it out. She is a woman of few words."

"Tell me about it. Send the program."

"You wish me to tell you about Tatsu being a woman of few words or you wish me to tell you about the program?" the Toltec inquired, quite clearly confused despite the fact that it only had a monotone voice.

"It's just a saying, Toltec. I was agreeing with you that Tatsu is a woman of few words. We can go through the program separately and then compare notes when it's safe," Kim stated.

"Are you sure you want to do it that way? We could go through it now before you walk into the lion's den, I believe is the phrase," the Toltec replied.

"Aw! You sound like you're worried about me," she teased.

"Monotone voice, Kim. Again, you cannot detect emotions in my voice because it is a monotone, not to mention a mere program set to mimic a voice."

The redhead chuckled. "So you continue to say. Okay, I'm about to be in the city. I don't think we should keep talking."

"Contact me when you think it is safe. I will try to find out more on Henchipolis just in case."

"Good thinking. Send it to me when you think it's safe or if you can get past any security that might be out there."

"Affirmative."

The communication was disconnected and Kim hit the city limits. She was surprised by what she saw as soon as she entered. It actually looked like Roman city, but modern. There were wide streets and she was willing to bet they were set up in a grid from what she could see with the cross streets. The buildings were all white and seemed to mimic being made from stone and brick, but the material was different. She was not sure what it was, even as she ran her fingers across the cool, smooth wall. It felt foreign, strange.

"I shouldn't be surprised by that. I'm sure Hench still has some of the finest scientific minds in the world working for him. So, they probably came up with something suitable for the wasteland that Junior inherited during the war," Kim muttered.

The city was quiet despite the fact that Kim assumed there were fine, brilliant people working for Hench and probably living in his city. It was quiet to a disturbing degree. There seemed to be shops and boutiques, like she would expect in any modern city, but there did not seem to be many people making use of them. There were few cars in the street, too, but much more than she had seen in Shego's territory and they looked like modern cars.

The trickle of people that were out and about struck Kim as strange, but she could not quite put her finger on it. Most of them were carrying bags or on they were on their way to carrying bags. She saw a few folks head back to cars idling on the empty streets. It made her think of servants.

"Which might make sense. Whoever lives here and lives well probably works for Hench and then probably get paid in whatever valuables still exist. The average people here probably work for Hench's top people. God, they're probably slaves," Kim considered.

She was tempted to test her theory, but she did not want to call attention to herself without having more intelligence on the rules of the society. So, she moved out of sight and observed what was going on. As she continued to see a person here and there, she was getting more certain that they were servants. Now, that was definitely something that she had not seen in Kimber. Even though Shego and her inner circle could get people to do thing for them, no one was a servant or slave.

The more she walked around, the more she felt like she was at a ghost town. Yes, there were people sprinkled about, but they were so few and far between in the massive city that she did not see the point of the spread … until she got to the villas, anyway. But, even then, there were not many people around.

The area that held the villas struck her because it was not fenced off in any way. All of the properties were open for each neighbor to see what the other had. She had a feeling that the city was heavy on the sin of envy as well as pride, showing off what they had and coveting what they did not. And, from what she could tell, there was not much the villas did not have.

There were fountains that were blatant rip-offs of pieces found in Rome and Vatican City. There were massive gardens that would have made the Hanging Gardens of Babylon look like a pubic garden. Every vehicle that she saw was the stretch version of it, except for roadster and tiny sports cars. There were regulation sized courts of all sports and Olympic-sized whatever was left. Expensive baubles dotted the well cared for lawns and brilliant mosaics tiled the walkways that led to mansions that funnily enough all looked the same. It seemed that the building code had to keep with the idea of the place being a roman city.

Every villa was the same color. They all had the same amount of floors and the same window design. As she continued walking, she noticed that the backyards all had similar setups with balconies and verandas. Then, there were all of the toys, just like in the front yard.

Of course there were pools along with top of the line grills. For a moment, Kim entertained the idea of her father enjoying one of the grills. The thought brought a tear to her eye, which she quickly wiped away. She rushed her way through the rest of the neighborhood, not wanting to see anything else that might remind her of the family that she was missing.

As she exited the residential area, she came to a part of town that she would have thought was supposed to be like the Roman bathhouses. There were frescos outside that drew her attention and she could see activity going on just inside of the gates. There seemed to be outside pools, sporting courts, and pretty much anything to be found at a gym and a park. There were buildings that appeared to be orange brick that she guessed held inside pools and whatever other activities; if the city was anything like ancient Rome, she knew there would be gambling, reading, and socializing.

She could see the mosaic paths that led into the buildings, which she guessed had mosaics on the floors as well. The people that she was able to see allowed her to easily determine who was important and who seemed to be on the level of a serf. Everyone in a servile position was dressed in a drab light blue tunic and barefoot while the patrons were all decked out in the finest, eye-catching clothing that they could find. There seemed to be many more servants than masters, as she would expect in any place.

The servants had three body-types from what she could tell; malnourished, as many appeared, then there was average, and, lastly, strong. The malnourished servants probably performed menial tasks and were not viewed as important. The strong-bodied ones were more than likely that way from having to do heavy manual labor. She figured the average ones did everything in between.

The people in charge could be classified almost the same, except in the place of the malnourished there was the near obese. _They obviously eat very well around here_. She wished the same could be said of the servants or the average citizen that lived over in Kimber. She was almost willing to concede that Shego probably did not eat as well as the lords of Neo Roma, but she shook that away.

She was very tempted to talk to someone and ask questions, but she was not sure how she would be received. She did not want to do it in a populated area, in case whoever she spoke to quickly alerted whatever authorities there were. She then realized that she had not seen a single police officer or official.

"I'm going to have ask someone," she decided, but she moved on. She would have to find the perfect person to ask before anything because she did not want to end up on the bad end of a Bebe or something even worse so far away from anyone who might have her back.

Continuing on her way, Kim ended up in what she gathered was the forum area and market place of the faux Roman city. There was not nearly as much activity as she would have believed happened around the forum. It felt like being in a shadow of a city. The buildings were all decorated with statues and images of Junior and his father. It was like the area was a memorial for Senor Senior Senior complete with a grand fountain and what appeared to be a temple dedicated to him … next to a temple for Junior. There was only a trickle of people around those areas. The place that seemed to be the spot to be in was the market and she was very disgusted when she found out just what was for sale at the market.

The market dealt in bodies. There were humans in cages, waiting to be sold off. There were also some animals for sale, lions, crocodiles, and other creatures that were damn near extinct as far as she knew. _They're selling people and rare animals like toys? People in Kimber can barely have families and the animals have to be genetically engineered to have any sort of environment and they're just selling people here!_ She could not have stopped the righteous indignation that flared inside of her if she tried. Of course, she did not try.

Kim eased into the area, slinking about in the shadows. She wanted a good look at the cages that the "livestock" were being held in. A frown settled onto her face when she saw they were digital locks around Plexiglas boxes with air holes drilled into them.

"Well, it's about time to live up to that 'anything's possible for a Possible' creed," Kim muttered. She crept around until she found one cage unattended with a rather pathetic looking young man slinked over inside. He glanced up just in time to notice her.

"You don't want to buy me, miss. I'm slated for execution after hitting the last bitch that tried to buy me," he boasted with a satisfied smile. There was a spark of pleasure in his dull eyes. He then displayed a large brand on his palm of a skull that she guessed marked him for dead.

"Don't worry. I'm not really looking to buy anything right now. You're going to be executed just for hitting someone?" Kim asked curiously in a low tone.

"Of course. What did you fall out of the sky or something? You never touch one of Hench's precious brain-trusts. The Emperor himself has decreed such," he replied with a mocking sneer.

Kim grimaced, wondering how many people lost their lives to such a law. "Then why do they have you here in the market?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "You must really be slow. This is where they execute slaves, so the other slaves know what'll happen if they decide to get out of line. Who the hell are you to not know something so basic?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. So, how was life before you decided you'd risk your life for one hit?" she asked.

He scoffed. "You're kidding, right? I'd rather be dead than to do one more thing for that greedy bitch. I wish I'd hit her harder when I had the chance. Damned cowards pulled me off of her instead of joining in. You'd have thought I hit their mother or something!"

"You worked in a villa?"

"Yeah, for some fat bitch of an engineer. Tons of slaves were at her beck and call, her and her brat. Damn," he muttered as if he had just had an epiphany. "I shoulda hit the fucking brat, too. Ah well, hopefully, I won't have to see them again. There has to be a different Hell for slaves and the Privileged, right?"

"I don't think you're going to Hell for hitting someone who was mistreating you."

"No? That's all they teach us. The Privileged have been granted domain over the underclass and it is evident in their special skills. Should anyone underclass touch the Privileged in a less than reverent manner shall be drawn and quartered before being damned to the fire abyss of Hell and suffer the wrath of Satan for all eternity," he spoke as if he were quoting scripture.

"Is that written somewhere?"

"Yeah, the Emperor's Creed. You really are an idiot," he chuckled.

"How are the Privileged chosen?"

"Based on your usefulness to Hench and to the Emperor, duh." He glanced away and then chuckled. "Hey, you think that fat dodger is eyeing that big beast more as a meal than a pet?" he joked.

Kim glanced over to where he was looking and saw a large, well-dressed man eyeing an elephant. "He might be looking to have elephant steak," she remarked.

"Elephant? Is that what it's called? First time I've seen one," he said.

"I've seen a lot," she admitted. "What about lions? You seen many of them?" she asked while pointing over to the aforementioned predator.

"Nah, I'd remember those teeth. Wouldn't want to be on the business end of that. My mistress, the fat cow, didn't like animals. Her brat was sickly and couldn't breathe around critters. She damn near beat one of the servant kids to death when he brought in a little mouse."

Kim nodded. "What if she had killed him?"

"She'd have paid a fine, of course. Children are hard to come by anywhere even if the boy was just a slave," he answered with a snort.

Kim noted that he seemed to think that was a suitable punishment. The more she spoke to him, the more it disturbed her and they only spoke for a few minutes. Apparently, Junior's laws were scripture and he quoted them as if they came from God himself. He even accepted his fate as if it there were nothing to be done of it, as if there were no injustice in it all. Kim, of course, could not accept anything of the sort.

"Who would she pay the fine to?" the redhead inquired.

"One to the Emperor and one to Hench. They probably use that money to pay the worthless Praetorians that do nothing more than enjoy wiping on the slaves when the Privileged aren't looking."

"Praetorians?" She had not noticed anyone that could be mistaken for an officer of the so-called law.

"Yeah? They mostly stick close to the Privileged, like bodyguards. Really, they're nothing but thugs in nice clothes, happy to pick up scraps from the rich."

Kim nodded and realized that she might have seen some of the Praetorians and mistaken them for the wealthy. Mentally, she reclassified the people of Henchipolis into three classes: slaves, service people like the Praetorians and vendors, and the Privileged. She wanted to learn more, so she continued to engage the condemned man.

While speaking, Kim made her way to the locking mechanism. She studied it for a moment and then quickly sent a typed message off to the Toltec. The machine responded with a typed message of his own and she found a port to hook her kimmunicator to the lock of the cage. She knew that she was taking a big risk, especially if the Toltec could not open the cage, but she had to try. She had to do something, not just for the one man she was talking to, but for as many of the captives as she could. The cage door suddenly popped up and Kim smiled.

"Toltec is getting good at techie things," Kim muttered to herself. "Well, friend, your door is open. What you do with it is up to you. I must be on my way," she informed him and walked off before he had a chance to say anything.

Behind her, Kim heard the footsteps of the man as he hopped out of the cage. She quickly moved to the next cage and opened it. She moved rapidly and with such stealth that no one knew what happened until she released the lions. Chaos ensued as she freed more beasts and humans. She was able to get away without a problem.

"The virus I made to open those locks is going to spread. That was very dangerous, Kim," the Toltec scolded her.

"But, it was worth it if it allowed a condemned man one moment of freedom. Besides, someone might actually get away and make it to freedom somewhere," Kim replied.

"Kimber."

"Excuse me?"

"You said 'freedom somewhere.' The only land that they can be free in is Kimber."

For some reason, Kim did not want that to be true. Maybe because it was so difficult to reach Kimber from Neo Roma and she knew that most of those who tried would never make it. Or maybe it was because Shego was in charge of Kimber and it was just impossible for her to believe that Shego could seriously be the only salvation. _How can Shego be the Savior?_

As the question entered her mind, she blinked as flashes assaulted her brain. She was hit again with thoughts of having coffee and conversation with Shego. There were echoes in her mind of the nicknames that Shego called her, but not with the early spite or mocking condescension that Kim expected. There seemed to be genuine affection echoing through her mind. Making it worse, Kim could hear her own laughter and almost feel a smile in her own head and she knew somehow Shego's company caused them. Making matters worse, she could have sworn in her heart that she once confessed to admiring Shego.

"All the traveling must be getting to me. My brain is going whacky," Kim decided.

"Will you be heading to the next city?" the Toltec asked. "Now that you have caused a stir, they will be more alert. You should leave as soon as you can."

"I will."

Kim wasted no time fleeing the scene, going so far as to steal a motorcycle to do so. The Toltec scanned and disabled any security on the bike and Kim was back in the desert within minutes. The barren landscape clashed with the wonderfully white city that was at her back, but it was certainly more honest than anything that she had seen within that place.

"But, I suppose since it is supposed to be Rome, I should have expected slaves," Kim frowned.

-8-8-8-8-

"Get me Hench," Junior ordered in a calm tone, speaking into the intercom on his desk. He was not in his usual office, but in one of the rooms. A few feet away in the dark were the sounds of sniffling and whimpering. He frowned. "Do stop with cowering and crying. It's unbecoming," he spat without bothering to look behind him.

"Sire, you called for me?" Hench responded, turning Junior's attention to his call.

"Yes. We had plans and you are holding them up. What is the matter?" Junior demanded in a collected, but clearly impatient tone.

"Forgive me, sire. I have an issue in my capital, though. Somehow the locks failed on several cages in the open market, freeing slaves and beasts alike."

"Why was I not informed of this? Is there something wrong with the lock designs that we are using for the whole empire?" the emperor inquired.

"No, sire. These malfunctioned somehow. A possible accidental virus could have spread from one to the next. Unfortunately, the market and the surrounding areas are now a circus of confusion. It could take hours to clear and determine exactly what went wrong."

"Hours?"

"Hours if we're lucky. We'll have to check all of our systems to make sure that the virus hasn't infiltrated any other pieces of our systems," Hench explained.

"Is it that important?"

"Yes. We don't want to leave this only to find out that Shego somehow got Wade or the last sane Possible to create a virus that made it into our systems. She could be stealing information as we speak," Hench pointed out.

Junior nodded. "All right. Inform me of this when you're done and we can continue working on the plans to hurt the land of Kimber as much as possible."

"I will, Sire."

The communication was disconnected and Junior scowled. "Set backs and drawbacks. How fucking lucky can Shego get?" he snarled and then heard sniffling again. "Goddamn it, Bonnie, stop fucking crying! Do you think my father cried when you kept me from him every night? Of course he didn't, so just stop fucking crying!"

The sniffling stopped, but there was heavy breathing. He snarled and pushed himself from his chair, flinging the chair against the wall while he was at it. He stormed into the room and glared at the shivering pile of flesh in the corner. A sinister smile crept onto his face as he took in the sight of her tanned, bruised skin. Dark, purplish splotches covered her bare form and they were kept company with maroon bite marks and bright red scratches.

Reaching down, he snatched her by her mussed, shoulder length hair. She shrieked and cried, but quickly quieted down as Junior's tongue snaked out and ran along his top lip. She panted, even though he knew that she was trying to control her breathing.

"Bonnie, baby, I need you to stop crying," he whispered before nipping hard enough on her ear to leave teeth imprints. She whimpered and he chuckled. "You brought this on yourself," he reminded her.

"Junior …" her voice was low and trembling. A tear ran down her broken turquoise eyes, streaming down the dark circles right underneath the cracked orbs.

"Shh." He put his finger to her lips. "I don't want you to say my name any more than I want you to ever say my father's name. Now, just admit that you brought this one yourself. I might consider letting you put your clothes back on then."

"It's my …" her voice cracked. She had to take a deep breath before she could say anything else. "It's my fault. I …" she gulped. "I brought this on myself …"

"How?" he growled.

"Because I wasted all of your time, so you couldn't rule the world with your father. I made your father think you didn't care about him. I ruined your relationship with your father," she recited, blankly staring down at the floor.

"You ruined everything!" he snarled as he grabbed her jaw and began to squeeze.

"I ruined everything," she said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you did. Now, you must be punished for ruining everything, from taking my father from me, and for bewitching me."

Bonnie whimpered and felt tears welling up in her eyes. Junior noticed and chuckled darkly. Every time it seemed like Bonnie had run out of tears, she managed to conjure more. He wanted to steal all of her tears and turn her into the shell that his father now was. He wanted her to pay for stealing his life and taking away the only thing that mattered.

"You shouldn't have killed my father, Bonnie," he hissed.

"I …" she did not finish as his hand moved to her throat. He knew what she was going to say and he did not want to hear her lies, her denials.

"You did. Because you are such a whore, you shocked his sensibilities and he couldn't stand the sight of you. He would rather die than to see me with you. You have to pay for that, Bonnie. You have to pay for everything."

Even though she knew that it would only make matters worse, blue-green eyes poured heavy tears. Junior lapped up the nearest one with his tongue before closing his grip around her throat tighter. She gagged and he lifted her off of the floor, tossing her onto a nearby bed. His smile was crocked and the glint in his eyes would have caused the devil to cower as he regarded the weeping, quivering worthless mass.

He glanced upward. "Do you see, Father? I punish this horrible girl who has separated us and I will have this world under our name."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego and Ryujin have a field trip while Kim goes into another city and we meet a couple of new (old) characters.


	22. 2:9: The other side of the coin

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.9: The other side of the coin

"Shego, have you checked on Kim recently?" Wade inquired as he entered the Dark room.

"Recently? You mean in between the ton of meetings, the food crisis, the pile of dead refugees, and my general lack of sanity? When exactly am I going to have time to check on Kim?" the pale woman countered with an extra overly dramatic incredulous expression. She also made it a point to spread her arms over the piles of paperwork in front of her. If she never saw another report, it would be too soon!

"I think you might want to do that," he suggested while nodding toward the area that Shego's screen typically appeared.

Emerald eyes glanced up and tracked Wade. "Why? Is she injured? Do I need to get to her?" she asked with a slight panic in her voice.

"Just watch," he said as he waved off her panic and then turned on the screen. He typed a few things on the keyboard to resolve the image.

Shego squinted and was certain that she was seeing things. "i need sleep," she muttered and rubbed her eyes, thinking the images would vanish. They did not. "What the hell am I looking at? That's not what I think it is, right?"

"If you think that Kim's riding through the desert like this was some sort of fucking action movie, you would not be wrong. If you think that's Kim riding toward Drakkenium, you'd also not be wrong," he replied.

"What the fuck? How the hell did she get that far?" Shego screamed, throwing her hand out in an outrage.

He cast her a highly critical look that she ignored. "I believe it had something to do with you telling us to not worry about it."

"What the fuck? Why didn't you say something?" Shego ripped herself from her throne and stood by Wade for a closer look.

"We have to do something now, right? I mean, if she looks at someone wrong in Drakkenium, Drakken will unleash Tri-Acid on her and kill her before he even realizes that she is Kim. Which brings me to my next point, someone in Neo Roma is bound to recognize her!" Wade shouted while motioning to the screen.

"Shit, shit, shit," the pale woman hissed. She snarled and turned away, as if trying to think of something.

"Well?" Wade demanded.

"Just shut the fuck up for a moment. Goddamn!" she roared and massaged her forehead. "Where are the kid and Doctor Blondie?"

"Trin is working on the other crisis we have," Wade reminded her.

Shego was tempted to ask, "which one" just to be bitter, but knew it would not get them anywhere. Instead, she had Ryujin summoned and turned her attention back to the screen. Even though the picture was too far for her to see Kim's expression, she could tell from Kim's body language that the redhead was probably beyond her old form. The months on her own had been the right decision, but the notion of crossing the border was sheer insanity.

"You should've gone for her sooner," Wade reprimanded the ruler.

"Shut the fuck up, Load. I'm not going to stand here and be belittled for doing the right thing. So, unless you think you can suddenly kick my ass, seriously shut the fuck up," Shego ordered.

Wade frowned, but complied. It was rare for Shego to be so seriously callous with anyone in her inner circle, but his attitude was rubbing her the wrong way. It was as if he thought that she did not care about Kim when it was quite the opposite. _Hell, he used to fucking tease me about how opposite my feelings were for Kim_.

"You summoned me?" Ryujin asked as he appeared from the shadows. He glanced between Shego and Wade with a slightly smirk, as if he knew that he had just interrupted what could have been a serious conflict.

"Want to take a trip with me?" Shego proposed.

"Whoa, with you?" Shadow Hand spoke up, stepping out of the darkness and over to the fray.

"Yes, with me. After all, it's my fault for letting Kim wander about the globe without holding her hand and having a babysitter with her," Shego replied, glaring at her chief engineer.

"I must advise against that. I can go with Ryujin and have Kim back," Shadow Hand volunteered.

"No, I'd rather handle this personally and take someone who is actually going to listen to orders of get the hell out of here if things go haywire and I want you here in case things do go haywire. The ninjas need you more than Kimber needs me considering I know one of you crazy people will rise to the occasion if necessary. The ninjas don't have anyone to replace you, though. You're it," Shego pointed out.

"But—" he tried to object, but she cut him off.

"But nothing. Besides, it's not like this is the first time I've tap danced into Junior's craptastic territory and made it out to tell the tale. It'll be fine," she tried to assure him. Even with the hood covering his whole face, she could tell he was looking skeptical. "When has Junior come close to killing me?" she reminded him.

"Are we counting the time you almost got blown up?" the ninja inquired.

Shego waved it off. "How can we count that time when it wasn't Junior? Junior only gets as close to me as I let him and I'm not going to let him get anywhere near my today. I'm just going to go pick up Kim before anything serious happens. I need everyone else staying on top of the other issues. This should only take a few days."

"Provided we have a few days," Wade grumbled.

Shego glanced at him, considering if she needed to curse him out; well, more so than she had already done. She decided against it because if she started, she probably would not stop for a few days and she did not have the luxury of time. _Not that I ever have the luxury of time_.

"C'mon, kiddo. Let's go rescue your crazy aunt. Hell, I'm tempted to leave her and see if she can't make it to Junior's floating palace. She might actually get to him," Shego commented with a chuckle as she started out of the room. Little did they know, but she was half serious about that idea.

Ryujin trailed behind her. "Do you really think she could do that? I can't believe she's actually in Neo Roma. No one runs into Neo Roma, no matter what the circumstances. That's just nuts!"

"Kim's just nuts and she seems to be at the top of her game considering the fact that she's damn near at Drakkenium. Sneaking around Henchipolis is no small feat, after all," Shego reminded him.

"She actually went in there?" His brown eyes were wide and shone with awe.

Shego snorted. "Probably did more knowing her. Starting to sound like the Legend now, eh?"

Ryujin laughed. "She's starting to sound crazy is what she is."

"Yeah, that's the Kim I remember." Shego grinned. She did her best to ignore the light feeling coursing through her veins and the odd pounding in her chest.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim did not have to contact the Toltec to find out who was in charge of Drakkenium, nor did she need to contact the machine to find out the name of the city. Doctor Drakken's picture was everywhere and on everything, along with the banners proclaiming "Drakkenium, the Greatest City on Earth." The metallic, darkness of the city had let Kim know that the signs lied. Not that she would have ever believed that anything Drakken did was the greatest anything on Earth.

"Who gave Drakken a city? What is wrong with Junior? I wouldn't trust Drakken with a stick of gum," Kim sighed, shaking her head. She was standing at the outskirts of the city and studying it to figure out what to make of it. No matter how much of it she took in, the foreboding metropolis remained an ominous enigma.

It seemed like the evil twin of Hench's city. While the buildings seemed to be designed the same; there was no light, no frescos, and no mosaics. There was nothing at all that might catch and please the eye. The buildings were dark gray, like a stormy sky. The roofs were pitch black, as if they were covered in tar. Drakken's visage appeared everywhere that she could see and he was not the Drakken that she remembered.

Drakken was old and did not have the vanity to try hiding it. His hair was totally white and growing down his back. Frown lines marred his long chin, digging deep into his cerulean skin. His scar seemed longer, dragging down his face. In many pictures, he was shown hunched over in a plain wheelchair. In some of the posters he was with a humanoid pile of green goo from what Kim could tell. The goo seemed to be smiling, menacingly in fact. There were captions on all of the pictures proclaiming Drakken the "supreme lord and master of Drakkenium."

"I wonder what Junior has to say about that," Kim muttered to herself. She was willing to bet it burned Drakken up to own just a small piece of a world that Junior successfully swallowed. Of course, Junior choked on half of it. "Good for him. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Or pair of guys really. Now, if only they would both choke on what they have and spit it back up for others to enjoy."

As she skulked around the area, Kim made sure to remain hidden in the shadows. She wanted to take in as much of the place as she could before making any irrational, impulsive decisions, much like she did in Henchipolis. She quickly noticed one key difference between the two cities. Drakkenium had way more people, but there was something strange about them.

Everyone was dressed in blue jumpsuits that looked very familiar; they were all the same one that Drakken himself used to wear. She was willing to bet that he still wore them from what she could tell with his outfits in the posters. There blank stares in everyone's eyes as they marched through the streets as if they were an army, but only in form. They were not carrying weapons or anything threatening and all they seemed to be doing was marching. It was like a parade of zombies.

"Does Drakken have these people drugged? Or maybe he has them chipped?" Kim pondered and shuddered as she was slammed with the memory of being controlled with the microchip by Drakken. Then, she felt a sudden shame as she recalled using the same technology to keep her brothers from driving her insane. "Not my finest moment," she admitted.

Kim wanted a closer look at the people because there was just something off about them. Something was tweaking her instincts, urging her closer. Suddenly, the people stopped and Kim did the same. The crowd then all turned to one of the largest billboards with Drakken's image.

"All hail the world's greatest and most intelligent scientist in the whole world. Hail our creator, lord, and master," the people chanted.

"I get the feeling Drakken wrote this little speech," Kim muttered. "Especially since it mentions he's the greatest in the world twice, just in case we missed the first time."

"Hail to the best man of all time that will rid the world of the Judas, black-hearted, she-demon, Shego and display her corpse for all to see what happens to those who disrespect our lord," the people continued.

"Oh, that's harsh. Drakken's a little more ruthless than I remember," the redhead grimaced. She never thought that she would hear such a thing about Shego coming from Drakken. She wondered what caused the split between them. Shego had always been loyal to Drakken. "Almost to a fault. I feel like her loyalty was even her downfall," Kim said as it seemed like her mind was trying to push something out of the dark recesses of her brain. Whatever the thought was, it did not make it as the crowd started up again.

"Drakken is the best leader in the world that we could all ever hope for and we are truly blessed to have him. We will always and forever worship our esteemed, great leader," the mob vowed.

They then turned back into formation and began marching off again. They marched for exactly twenty minutes before turning to another billboard and shouting their chants again. It happened again twenty minutes after that. Briefly, Kim considered she might be in the middle of a religious ceremony, but it did not feel like it. The way the people spoke, there was no emotion in their voices. It made her think about the way Toltec chided her over the fact that he spoke in a monotone voice because he was a machine and did not have any emotions. The people seemed something like that.

The redhead did not have much time to devote to those thoughts. The people started moving on and she followed. The march was not perfect like it had been on the previous occasions. A youngster, a boy that appeared about six or seven, somehow stumbled and rocked the line ahead of him as he dropped to the ground. The line behind kept walking, trampling him until a red light flashed and an alarm buzzed loudly through the air. Kim pressed herself into the shadows, muscles coiled to spring into action as soon as it was safe enough to rescue that little boy.

"Who dared messed up my parade?" an old, scratchy voice boomed as a screen appeared on the billboard. The wrinkled, sneering visage of Drakken peered down on them like an avenging god. He squinted, searching through the sea of people. "You, Double Z 08-2011-11735! You always were a failure and I'll have you destroyed for such an error! None of you can disrespect me, your lord and creator, in such a way!"

Flying droids and robots on wheels whirled onto the scene. Kim was about to spring into action when suddenly arms wrapped around her and a large hand made sure to cover her mouth. She heard the sound lasers blaring as she consumed by the shadows and pulled into what looked like tunnels. She struggled with whoever was holding onto her, ready to make them pay for keeping her from saving that kid.

"Hey, calm down, sis. Calm down!" an unfamiliar, deep voice implored her.

"Yeah, sis, chill out. I'll move me hand from your mouth and we can get out of here without any problems," a similar voice added.

"Sis?" Kim echoed in a very muffled voice thanks to the hand.

"Yeah, Kim, it's us. It's Tim and Jim. So, calm down." The hand was moved from her face.

"The boy," she hissed.

"It's a drone, Kim. He's a drone. Look."

Olive eyes shifted to the outside where she saw the mess of what used to be a child … or what she thought was a child. The pile of liquid that looked like melted jade with a blue jumpsuit in the middle let her know that it probably was a drone. But, still, it seemed harsh to destroy anything just for tripping. The fact that the thing that was destroyed was in the shape of a child made it worse to her. It seemed to suggest that life was cheap to Drakken.

"Would he have done that if it was a child?" Kim wondered aloud.

"In the past, before humans were an endangered species, he wouldn't have hesitated to do just that."

Kim turned to see if the two men with her really were Jim and Tim. The area that they were in was dark and she squinted to take the two large men. They leaned down for her to get a better look and she could see her brothers in their blue eyes. They had eyes like their mother. _Mom_ … Kim's heart thundered in her chest, but was settled as she realized that she had her brothers. They were safe and alive!

Their youthful qualities were gone as they had matured and hardened over the years. One was taller than the other by a noticeable margin. One of them had a full beard while the other had a rough five-clock shadow. The bearded one had long hair pulled into a messy ponytail while the other had a buzz cut. She could see the tweebs there, though, and guessed that Tim was the shorter twin with the beard.

"You're alive …" Her voice cracked and tears slid down her cheeks.

"We could say the same about you," the bearded one replied.

"Let's get moving and have our touching reunion some place safe," the short-haired twin pointed out and motioned for them all to move forward.

"Yeah, don't want Drakken to sic Try-Acid on us," the other commented.

Kim had dozens of questions, but silently agreed that they needed to talk some place safe. So, she followed the duo down the dark tunnel that they were in. They walked for a few minutes before Kim realized that they were heading downward on a slight slope. They were going underground, she guessed.

"Are we free to talk? If so, I'd like to know where we're going," Kim informed the pair.

"We're going to our temporary headquarters. It's so good to see you alive, sis. After a while, we thought Shego was just fucking with us about you being alive. We thought she was using that to string Trin and Joss along," the bearded twin stated.

"Have you spoken to Trin? Is she the reason you guys popped up right before I did something crazy?" Kim asked.

"We talked to Trin a couple of days ago. She was telling us how you were staying with her and Shego, but then you ran off. She told us to keep an eye out for you since we all know you're just crazy enough to wander into the killing fields."

"Jim, since when do you let Tim finish his own sentences?" Kim remarked, glancing over at the taller twin.

They both smiled. "You can actually tell us apart after not seeing us for twenty-five years? You're still amazing," Jim replied, showing that Kim's guess was right.

"It's not hard. You're my brothers, after all. So, what do you mean by killing fields? You mean Drakken's city?" the redhead inquired.

"He means the whole freaking eastern hemisphere. This New Rome business is nothing more than a death cloud," Tim answered.

"A death cloud? Is Junior really that bad?" Kim asked, even though she could gather that he was bad from what she saw in Hench's city and what he allowed Drakken to get away with.

"He's worse than anything you could imagine. The man's a monster and that's being mean to monsters," Jim quipped.

Kim nodded absently. "Where are we headed?"

"To our temporary headquarters. Hey, you might even be able to help us out!" Tim proclaimed with a grin.

"Help you out?" Kim echoed.

"We'll talk more about it in the safety of headquarters. Even though we're doing the small talk now, you never know where the listening devices are. You never know who's listening and reporting back to Junior," Jim explained.

"Or reporting back to Shego," Tim added.

"Shego? So, you guys don't work for Shego?" Kim asked.

"Hell, no!" they both answered.

Kim noted their strong response. "You have a problem with Shego?"

"We have problems with anyone trying to take over the whole world. You never would've stood for that. We won't either," Jim proclaimed.

Kim nodded; she supposed that made sense. In her head, she thought of Shego as a bigger threat than Junior. Of course, that did not square with what she saw while she with Shego, even if that was only a month. She had actually been wandering the globe more than she had been with Shego. Still, what she saw did not add up with what she knew about Shego, especially the way that people in Kimber spoke of Shego. There was much more to Shego than Kim had seen or recalled and she was not sure what to make of that information.

"You sure that Shego will end up taking over the world?" Kim asked. That did not even sit well with what she knew about Shego, disregarding the fact that she had been unconscious for a quarter of a century. The Shego she knew seemed to be in things for the fun and making sure Drakken did not kill himself. She never seemed like a "rule the word" type of villain.

"She already took over half of it. Even though she was the one that told us you were still alive and she took over the hole you left, but she's still Shego. She worked for Drakken and now that we see what Drakken is like unchecked, we can only guess what would happen with Shego when she doesn't have anyone challenging her when she's way stronger and just as smart as that blue psychopath," Tim answered.

Again, that sounded right to Kim, but also did not sound quite right. Something inside of her refused to accept that Shego would just become a cruel dictator on the same level of Junior or Drakken. She could remember the deep look in Shego's eyes told her that if Shego could, she would walk away from it all and spend the rest of her life sleeping on a beach somewhere far away. She shook that away, though, reminding herself that Shego was a villain.

"How long until we're at your headquarters?" Kim asked.

"Possibly an hour. Are you good to travel that long?" Jim inquired.

"I've been walking for months now. I think another hour shouldn't be a big deal," she replied with an impish smile.

The twins accepted that and the siblings moved as quickly as they could. They kept the conversation to a minimum in case they were being bugged. They came to a smaller, boiling hot tunnel after a while and Kim continued to follow on. She was glad the twins did not check on her about being able to handle the conditions. They then came to a ladder and had to climb down. They ended up in a dimly lit, large bomb shelter-like area.

"This is one of our many safe houses and we consider it a temporary headquarters whenever we're in this area," Tim explained.

Kim nodded and looked around. She was embarrassed to even admit it mentally, but the place reminded her of the bat-cave. There was technology everywhere and people manning every station. Looking closer, it actually reminded her of Global Justice's command center.

"Do all of your temporary headquarters look like this?" Kim asked.

"For the most part, some are smaller and some are larger. But, they all need to be state of the art so we can bring the world back to the place it was before the War. When the War is finally done, we'll get the world back to the way it was supposed to be," Jim explained with a grin.

Kim nodded. "Sounds noble enough. So, what do you guys call yourselves? I've figured that Shego's side is the Knights and Junior's side is the Dragons now."

"We're just the Rebels. We're rebelling against this whole idea of dictators. The world doesn't need absolute rulers who can do whatever they want without the people having a say," Tim answered.

Kim nodded again; that made a lot of sense to her. "So, what are you guys doing to keep the dictators from taking over?"

"Well, we don't have an army, per se. So, we have to be more creative in our attacks, sort of like you were when you spread that virus in Henchipolis," Jim replied with a proud smile.

Kim chuckled. "Well, I didn't do that alone," she admitted. Hell, she did not even know it was a virus that the Toltec cooked up and infected all of the locks in the city. Of course, the Toltec confessed that it had not meant to infect all of the locks, too. They were still learning. "How do you even know about that?" she inquired.

"We were monitoring the city when we saw the virus and then Trin told us about you, so we just put two and two together, especially since Trin and Wade weren't taking credit for it," Jim explained.

"You might be able to help us with our next attack. We're going to take out the whole Bebe factory. With no Hive, Junior won't be able to keep fighting the way he has because he won't have an army," Tim informed the redhead.

"We'll cripple his whole war effort," Jim added as a boast.

Kim nodded again. In the back of her mind, she felt a slight gnawing. Somehow, the idea that her brothers just pitched her sounded too simplistic. She felt like if it were so easy, Shego and the others definitely would have done it already. But, she shook that off and figured that she needed to aid her brothers since they seemed to have an actual plan.

"I was informed that you two seem to be talking too much to a girl you rescued," a voice that seemed almost familiar to Kim said.

The Possibles all turned around to face the owner of the voice. Kim was not too sure what to make of the person that she guessed was female. It was hard to tell because a helmet covered the person's whole head and the face, along with any other features, were blocked out by a darkly tinted visor. The figure was wearing armor, which was black and had blue pieces across the chest, on the biceps, forearms, and legs. The stance of the person was militant, but familiar too.

"Hey, this isn't just any girl we rescued. This is Kim," Jim declared, motioning to his older sister.

"We've had more than our fair share of Kim imposters. What makes this one any different?" the figure demanded. Listening to the voice now, Kim could hear the person was a woman, but the voice was very gravely and scratchy.

"Trin vouched for this one. She told us about Kim when we spoke to her and said that Kim was probably getting into trouble over here. Best of all, she could tell us apart," Tim explained.

"You can't even do that when we decide to get the same haircut," Jim pointed out.

"That doesn't mean this is really Kim Possible. You can't just tell our plans to someone you picked up off the street, especially the street in Drakkenium. That would be a fucking synthodrone for all we know!" the woman barked. There was then a sharp inhale, like air was being sucked into a machine.

The term "synthodrone" struck Kim as odd and then her mind was bombarded with thoughts of what she realized were her junior year of high school. She recalled Drakken tricking her into dating a drone and she had taken her anger out on Shego. She had blamed Shego and almost killed the older woman over it. Pressing her hands to her temples, she shook her head to rid herself of those memories. _Why do all my memories make me seem like an ass? I can see why I don't want to remember this stuff_.

"Scan her. I bet you this is Kim," Jim proclaimed.

"I agree," Tim chimed in.

"Of course you do," the female sighed. She turned to Kim, even though it was difficult to tell with the visor blocking her eyes. "Stand still," she ordered as she held her arm up.

Kim did not have a chance to respond as a light beamed on her and ran up and down her body. Before it could outrage her, the scan was over and the woman was examining the data. The gasp let Kim know what the scan revealed.

"It's Kim, isn't it?" Jim asked smugly.

"I can't believe it. It's really you," the woman said and then the visor slid down.

It was Kim's turn to gasp. Standing before her was Doctor Betty Director. The woman only appeared a little older with her brown hair that had a snippet of snow white in the front and a line under her good eye, which was not as good as it once was. Her "good" eye had a long scar going down the center of it almost meeting up with two other jagged marks on her cheek. She still wore an eye patch over her right eye and a scar on her right cheek reached up to the patch. There was also a mark on her chin that almost reached her lower lip.

"Doctor Director, are you the one in charge here?" Kim asked curiously.

"Close enough to it. Good to have you back, Kim. So, are you willing to help us on this mission?" Doctor Director countered in a businesslike tone.

Kim smiled. "Count me in."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: They go over the plan while uninvited company shows up. Kim gets lost in her own head for a while, too.


	23. 2:10: Into the darkness

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.10: Into the darkness

"All right, so what's the game plan?" Kim asked as she pulled up a chair to a monitor that Jim and Tim sat down at. Betty Director stood behind them.

"It's pretty cut and dry. We've got explosives that we're going to plant into the Bebe hive and if we put them all in the right places, we should take down the whole factory," Jim explained as he pulled up the blueprints of the Hive.

"This place looks big," Kim noted as she studied the blueprints. Big was really an understatement. She felt like she was looking at the schematics for a city.

"Big doesn't begin to cover it. We've been planning this for a long time, but we never had the manpower for it," Tim informed his sister.

"You have the manpower for it now?" Kim asked with an arched eyebrow.

"We have you," Jim grinned.

Kim chuckled. "While that is a great vote of confidence and all, I don't think one person can suddenly change things that much."

"Uh … Kim, what happened to the girl that could do anything?" Betty inquired with a somewhat teasing smile. "Don't tell me that time with Shego has destroyed all of your confidence. Not that I wouldn't put it past her."

Kim snorted, tempted to defend Shego for some reason. She wanted to think that it came from the fact that Shego's side had not been horrible to her and they did consider her a legend, but it was nothing like that. It was something deeper, something buried underneath the haze and fog that she still carried with her. She managed to beat that urge down. She did wonder why she felt that way based on what she knew about Shego from her previous life. As far as she was concerned, Shego was a villain, dictator, and probably set to take over the world. She just had plenty of people fooled into thinking otherwise.

"No, of course not," Kim assured the former director of Global Justice. "I just think your master plan deserves more consideration than the fact that I showed up. If you think you need more people and then you got me, why does that negate the need for more people? I doubt that you just needed one person."

"No, but we never guessed that you'd show up. If nothing else, we'll be able to hit the key areas. You being you, you should be able to plant explosives in a few spots," Tim boasted.

Kim smiled; it felt good to be appreciated and thought of as not just an able body, but a competent able body. Of course, that did not make her feel more confident about what the group wanted to pull off. She wondered how many people they needed and how many people that they had. Again, the Bebe Hive looked like a city and they wanted to destroy it.

"So … what's the plan exactly?" Kim inquired.

"Us and two other three man teams will set charges on all of the marked areas," Jim replied as he motioned to the screen. Several red x marks popped up on screen.

Kim arched an eyebrow. "That still looks like a lot for nine people. I can't imagine the whole Hive falling apart based on this. You can't spare more people than that?"

"Any more and there's a good chance that we'll trip the alarm and alert the Bebes. If we alert the Bebes, then we're all as good as dead," Jim reported.

"Oh, this sounds like it'll be fun," Kim commented and she was not even sure if she was being sarcastic.

"The places we want to hit might not take out the whole Hive, but it will stop Bebe production and cause a lot of problems for Junior," Tim assured her.

"If anybody can pull it off, you and the twins can. You'd be proud to know they've followed in your footsteps almost exactly as far as heroics go," Betty declared.

"Just going with the family business," Tim remarked with a laugh.

"Okay, back to the mission. How heavy are these explosives and how far away is this hive and everything?" Kim asked.

"You are on point," Betty said with a firm nod. It seemed that she was trying to stroke Kim's ego now to keep her on board with the operation.

Kim sighed, not too sure if she agreed with that. There was something bothering her about the whole thing already and she could not put her finger on why that was. She was not used to second-guessing herself and she was not used to doubting a mission. Things were so much better when she knew everything that was going on in the world. She shook that off and decided to just trust her brothers.

"Are there going to be people that we need to warn or get to safety?" Kim asked.

"Nope. The Hive is completely and totally run by Bebes," Tim answered.

Kim nodded and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Betty's face twitched. It almost looked like the woman was about to grimace, but caught herself. _It's probably nothing_, Kim figured. It looked like Doctor Director had been through a lot, so she might have just had involuntarily muscle ticks every now and then.

"You mean to tell me this place is the size of a small city and it has nothing but Bebes in it? Don't they need people to do maintenance or something?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Nope, the Bebes are completely self-sufficient now. It would be kinda cool if they weren't being used for evil and all," Tim quipped with a chuckle.

"I'm surprised they didn't make their own bid for the world or to at least destroy humanity. The last time I saw them, they were pretty into self-awareness and they didn't seem too happy to serve people. Although, they were into making Bonnie their queen," Kim recalled.

"These Bebes aren't the same things you fought. Hell, it doesn't even make sense to call 'em Bebes anymore, but Junior does," Jim stated with a shrug.

Kim nodded. "I know they're not like the Bebes I faced. I've seen them in action. It's amazing what Drakken was able to do with them. It's weird that he's super competent now."

Jim shook his head. "While Drakken came up with Bebes originally, he wasn't the one that turned them into the hyper efficient and frightening things they are today. But, Drakken is very competent and deeply disturbed now, which is why it's a good thing we got to you when we did. If he had seen you, he would've probably went nuts since he swears up and down that he killed you twenty years ago. He used to get pissed whenever someone told him that you were alive somewhere and you'd be back."

"I never thought Drakken would be the one to get me," Kim muttered.

"Well, he's proud of the fact that he 'got' you, even though he knew he hadn't killed you. Back then, Drakken probably couldn't kill anyone," Betty commented.

"And now?" the redhead asked, even though she could guess the response.

"Now, he doesn't even need an excuse to kill. Hell, the reason his territory is full of drones now is because he killed off most of the people. When he got his own piece of Junior's land, the first thing he did was kill every redhead and girl named Kim to prove a point that he had done you in, back then and symbolically now. After that, he just kept killing people for stupid things. The ones that he didn't, Junior moved to his providence or to Hench's land to make sure there were still some people on this side of the world. That pissed him off royally and he went even more out of his mind for a little while," Betty replied.

Kim's brow wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

"Drakken accused Junior of favoring Hench and then sent Try-Acid to assassinate Hench," Jim reported.

"Try-Acid?" Kim echoed with a wrinkled forehead.

"Sorry. I'll show you," Jim said and he turned his attention back to the monitor. He typed out something very quickly and the picture of a familiar human-shaped blob appeared on screen. Personal information on the blob came up shortly after.

"Try-Acid, alias Adam Lipsky?" Kim read.

"Drakken thinks of Try-Acid as his loyal son who would never betray him," Tim snorted.

"His evil family …" Kim mumbled. She remembered that clearly from Drakken and how he used to say it about Shego. Try-Acid was a replacement for Shego. "Do you know why Drakken and Shego had a falling out? I mean, why isn't Shego his right hand man anymore?"

"Because even Shego's not crazy enough to side with the man that tried to destroy her. You don't remember that?" Tim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Remember what?" Kim countered.

"Drakken was trying to capture Shego, but you pushed her out of the way. You have to remember that. Shego felt guilty about you taking that hit and for a while she filled in for you until she decided to become a Dragon and tried her hand at world conquest," Tim answered.

_I pushed her out of the way? I saved Shego?_ Kim was set to call her brother's bluff, but she was suddenly hit with dozens of mental images of her with Shego, laughing, smiling, talking, and sharing coffee. She swooned as she saw herself shoving Shego out of the path of Drakken's ray. The last thing that she recalled Shego looking at her, as if pleading with her and she could not move. There were emotions in those haunting emerald eyes that Kim could not mistake. Betty ended up catching the falling redhead.

"Are you okay?" Betty inquired.

"Fine. I think my lifestyle might be catching up to me. I've been wandering the whole planet for the last few months, trying to get a better understanding of what's going on around here. I've basically been living like a survivalist," Kim vaguely explained.

"We'll get you some food and you can rest up before leave, okay?" Jim offered.

"Sounds good," Kim agreed.

The food that they had to offer was not what she was used to with Shego, but after months of scraps and wild fruit, it was better than nothing. She was full for the first time in months. She was then shown to a barracks with cots. She was asleep in no time; it was way better than sleeping in a tree or in a cave. Even in her sleep, though, she wondered why Drakken had tried to harm Shego.

"_Have you ever thought maybe it's time for you to move on? Like you said, everyone else is changing. That includes you. Maybe it's time you left Drakken." _The sounds like me. Who would I be advising to leave Drakken?

_There was a short laugh and a nod. "I've thought about it. I'm not doing anything with my life, except watching after him. Unfortunately, I wouldn't feel right about leaving him right now. He doesn't know it, but he needs someone to watch after him and make sure he doesn't go crazier. Besides, I'm not sure what's right for me either. I'm sort of in a stage of limbo."_ And that sounds like Shego. Is Shego really talking to me about her problems? About her life? When did this happen? **Did** this happen?

"_And why is that? You're fully capable and not wanted anymore. You got as much of a second chance as Dakken did. There's no reason why you can't go out and have a normal life, even while looking after Drakken. So, what's stopping you from doing it?"_

"_I guess in my case, it's about overcoming certain things that seem to follow me around no matter where I go."_

"_Criminal record?" _I can't believe I'm actually talking to Shego about her life. She's sitting across from me like it's the most normal thing in the world, too. She's looking at me as if she trusts me completely, like my words hold all of the weight of the world to her.

"_Association with Drakken. Not so much what I did with him, but what people saw me as, even Drakken. For most people, I was the muscle, the sidekick. It was rare for Drakken to acknowledge my intelligence and he spent most of his time with him. Most people don't know behind all of the ass-kicking, I have an even bigger muscle in my head."_

"_But, your degrees."_

"_Most people think they're forgeries, even if they call up my schools and find out, yeah, I went there and, yeah, I graduated. I don't think I would do well in a normal environment right now, anyway. I'm not mentally ready for that."_ I can't believe she's confessing to me like we're friends, close friends.

"_Shego, when are you going to be ready for that? Eventually, you have to get your act together. You're twenty-six years old for crying out loud. Do you want to still be a mercenary when you're thirty-six? Forty-six?" _Funny, isn't that where I am now? What do I want to be at forty-six?

"_I can see why the buffoon was happy to see you go to college halfway across the world." _She even talks about Ron like she's friendly with him. The look in her eyes doesn't have the usual mocking malice to it. Maybe it's just my imagination.

"_Don't try to change the subject. Ron and I are quite happy with our arrangements."_

"_If you couldn't talk him into college, what makes you think you can talk me into a normal life? You just like picking up these impossible tasks, Possible?" _

"_You keep that up and I'll get Ron on the phone. You know he likes badgering you just as much as I do." _Maybe he and Shego are as friendly as I seem to be with her. Strange since he didn't seem to like her much when she was completely good as Miss Go. Wait, Shego was good at one point? Is that a memory or did I make that up?

"_If I had known talking to you meant talking to him too, I'd have stayed in Drakken's stupid volcano lair. Have I told you about that? He's got a damn lair in an active volcano. It's like living in a damn cartoon!"_

"_Which you could get away from if you got on your own feet."_

"_I see why the buffoon stays in Japan whenever you're around."_

"_That wasn't up to your usual standards. Even your snaps are suffering." _This isn't our usual banter and she even made me laugh, even though I countered her snap. I don't understand.

"_Maybe I've been spending too much time with a certain goodie-two-shoes."_

"_Oh, yes, blame me. The absentee friend that you see perhaps once a month if we try hard enough_." I just admitted to being her friend. I used to see Shego once a month? I had to mean when we were fighting. I couldn't mean … but, then again, why would we be having a conversation like this if we weren't friends?

"_I think it's the boredom and the fact that I feel stuck, even though I'm changing. I feel like I'm evolving, but my environment isn't changing, which can't be good. In fact, it sounds just as deadly as the environment changing and me staying the same." _Little does she know that she did evolve and the environment changed more rapidly than most could deal with.

"_It sounds like you're thinking too much, Shego. You've got nothing going on in your life beyond Drakken's schemes and it's causing you to spend a lot of time in your head. Why don't you go out and do something? You could join a law enforcement agency. GJ would love to have you."_

"_Screw GJ. I'm not going to go out of my way to carry a badge or some bullshit. I'm not you, Princess."_

"_You used to be." _That's right. She used to be like me … and then it seems like she became like me again when I "died." I don't get it. Why?

"_And, as I keep going on, I've evolved."_

"_If that's the case, you're saying when I evolve, I'll be like you." _Will I be like her? How could I? Shego's a bad guy. I know she is. I fought her for years, but why does it seem like here we've been friends for years?

"_It's possible, cupcake. But, then again, one thing makes us to two very different creatures." _Yes, we are different. I'm glad she knows that.

"_And what's that?" _Why would I even ask that question? It's obvious that we're two different creatures! I'm nothing like Shego!

"_Drive, ambition, junk like that. You have way more of it than I ever will. I mean, we both have to admit that I would be a very different person if I wanted things just a little bit more than I do." _Yeah, you'd rule the world, something like now!

"_I think the world is thankful that you're not very ambitious, but I think I disagree with that. If you weren't very ambitious or you didn't have drive, you wouldn't have gone out and got all of those college degrees while you were working with Drakken, right?" _I shouldn't be encouraging her, even though she looks like she needs it. It feels like she needs it.

"_I was bored."_

"_Look, Shego, I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your life. I'm just trying to say that if you don't like the situation, you have the power to change it. It's that simple. You don't have to suffer with Drakken. He's not your responsibility and we both know you don't have any interest in ruling the world." _How wrong could I possibly be!

"_Well, I think technically, he would rule the world and I would get Iceland, not that I care about that anymore. What if I haven't changed? What if I'm just bored?"_

"_Shego, you're sitting across from Kim Possible at a coffee shop, drinking hot chocolate. Do you really think that's a sign of boredom?"_

"_Touché. It might be a cry for help." _

"_I really think you need to pull away from Drakken, Shego. It's slowly eating away at you."_

_Shego looked almost pitiful as her eyes drifted down into cup. "Even if he doesn't know it anymore, he needs me. I can't just abandon someone who needs me. When I left my brothers, I didn't realize how much I had hurt them and it's bothered me. I can't do it again."_

"_How about we go catch a movie? I don't have anymore classes for today_." I actually offered to go out to a movie with Shego and she accepted? I don't understand any of this! Why do I feel bad for Shego right now? Why do I feel like I would do everything in my power to help her, to put a smile on her face? She's the enemy!

"… _I've always admired you …"_

Kim's eyes shot open and the images that played off in her dreams shattered to the depth of her mind. Glimpses past before her, but she could not hold onto anything. She was left with a strange void, feeling like something important was just within in her grasp. Something beyond belief, truly incredible, and extremely important and it all seemed like a dream.

"Kim, are you ready to go?" Jim called before he poked his head into the tiny room.

Olive eyes looked up and Kim took a deep breath. "Let's do this," she answered with a confident smirk.

-8-8-8-8-

Something was wrong. Betty Director could feel it in the few bones that she had left. Turning around, she found out exactly what it was. Staring her in the face were incensed emerald eyes.

"Where is she, Director?" Shego demanded.

"How the hell did you know where we were and how the hell did you get in here?" Betty countered.

"We have Kim microchipped, doy," Shego remarked dryly. "Now, where the hell is she?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. Who knows what your hidden agenda is," Betty snorted.

Shego groaned and threw her hands up. "Are you still on this bullshit? It's been over twenty fucking years. When the hell are you going to believe I'm not the enemy? What the hell would need to happen for you to know I'm not the bad guy in this? Now, where the hell is she? I'm not going to ask again," the pale woman growled.

"She's safe with her brothers. They'll take better care of her than you ever did or would," the one-eyed woman pointed out.

"Don't fucking start with me. I didn't ask her to push me out of the way. I didn't ask the goddamn ground to swallow her whole. Now, I don't give a good goddamn if she's with the twins. If they're out doing what the hell they usually do, then she was better off on her own," Shego proclaimed.

Betty leveled a hard glare at the western ruler. "And why was she on her own? She just woke up and walked off?"

"That's none of your fucking business. I know what I'm doing and I've proven that. What the hell has your band of misfits proven aside from the fact that you've wasted your time?"

"Oh, really? If it wasn't for us, you wouldn't have half the people that you do in your country and the only reason you have them is because you're barely a step up above Junior," Betty spat.

A snarl curled on Shego's upper lip. "Don't you dare fucking compare me to that asshole. You know it's not true. You know what, fuck this. Come on, kid, let's go get our Legend and get back to home base before something else happens."

Ryujin nodded. The pair turned to leave, but did not make it far. Shego took one step before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She did not bother to turn around to face the former director of Global Justice.

"While I don't trust you considering your past, I will tell you that they went to the Hive. We might be able to dismantle the whole thing with some well placed explosives," Betty explained.

Shego shook her head. "You know she would never fall for something so pedestrian. Why even plan that?"

"Because Junior needs to be stopped somehow. Without Bebes, he doesn't have a real army. It would help," Betty replied. Her voice caught a little when she mentioned the Bebes.

"You've never been able to take out the Hive before, what makes you think this crazy, low-tech idea is going to work?"

"Kim Possible."

Shego chuckled in spite of herself and shook her head. "She can do anything. Look, I know your intentions are good and everything, but you don't have the manpower for the ambitions that you have. You know that. I don't see why you can't just trust me."

"I know you, Shego. I don't care what you say or what you do, I know your nature. I know that once Junior is gone, you'll step in to take over the whole world. I know it," Betty informed her.

Shego shrugged. "You don't know me as well as you think you do." While what Betty said might have been true, Shego never had a desire to rule the world. It always seemed like so much work and her current occupation only proved how right she was.

"So you say. Let Kim do what she does best. You should get back to the west. Even though Hench has been preoccupied with a virus that swept through the slaves pens in his capital, Junior still expects him to be ready to attack you and he wants Hyperion there."

The pale woman waved it off. "We'll be ready. We're always ready."

The former GJ director could not argue that. Of course, Shego and her crew always being ready had not done anything to halt Junior's advance on the world. Before she could point that out, Shego was gone with Ryujin. Betty sighed.

"I hope they take out the Bebes before Shego gets to them. This can be done. I know it can," Betty declared.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim could not believe her eyes as she and the Rebels climbed over a large hill that overlooked the Hive. The cone-shaped structure was massive and she was not sure how their small group would even be able to make a dent into it. She turned to her brothers, hoping that they knew what they were doing.

"I know it seems like a lot, but there are only a few places we need to attach the explosives to. They're incredibly powerful and can do the job. We've got tunnels to get close enough to get in," Tim informed the redhead.

"If we all get to the places that we need to, we'll be able to take the main points of the structure out and stop the production of Bebes altogether. It would take a long time before Junior could attack again and while he would try to clean up this mess, we'd be able to attack him and put an end to the war," Jim explained with a pleased smile.

"It'll be great," Tim stated.

"Sounds like it'll be dumb," Shego remarked from behind them. Everyone turned around to see the western ruler inching closer to them. She was crawling to stay out of sight, just as they were.

"Shego! What are you doing here?" Kim demanded.

"Trying to stop you from doing something boneheaded. Do you really think it'll be easy to just waltz in there and blow the place sky high without a problem? Are you fucking kidding me?" Shego scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"At least they're trying to be proactive. What have you done to end this war?" Kim countered. "You just sit on your throne and bark out orders, probably happy that you rule half the world!"

Shego cut a glare to the twins. "I see someone has been listening to my least supportive fans. Brain wash much?" she accused the pair of Rebels.

"Hey, we just told her the truth, which you don't seem to be too big on," Jim spat.

"Oh, hello, pot. Apparently, I'm the kettle," she snorted. "You couldn't have possibly told her the whole truth about this moronic scheme. While I know you two are geniuses and you probably came up some really powerful explosives that could probably take out miles and miles of whatever, but does Kim know that you've tried this lame idea twice? Did you tell her you failed twice and lost like half of your dumbass band of morons in those attempts?"

"We've learned from our mistakes and we've got it all figured out now. Junior and Vivian won't know what hit them," Tim proclaimed.

"Vivian?" Kim echoed. "Not Vivian Porter," she begged.

"She's the one behind the Bebes and she's made them damn near invincible. Rumors say that Drakken has been jealous of her for years because of the total control she has over what were originally his creations," Jim informed his sister.

Shego shook her head, knowing that was not what Kim wanted to hear. She put her hand on Kim's shoulder. "You know Vivian Porter?"

Olive eyes drifted to the ground. "I helped her one time. She was brilliant …"

"She still is. Unfortunately, she's brilliant on the wrong side. She's helped kill millions of people," Tim said with a growl. "We have to stop her."

"You won't stop her. We've seen you fail at the same lame thing twice," Shego sighed and shook her head.

"We have to try. We know you wouldn't know anything about that, trying to really do the right thing, after all," Jim spat bitterly.

"Hey, watch your tongue! The Savior has done more for people in one day than you have done in your life time," Ryujin hissed.

"Oh, really? What has she done aside from kidnap Kim and keep her from making her own decisions? Your 'savior' basically kept Kim prisoner for a month," Jim barked.

Ryuin did not respond and turned to Kim. His eyes searched hers, silently begging to know that she did not believe that. She kept his gaze for a moment before looking away. He swallowed hard. Shego patted him on the shoulder before turning her attention back to Kim.

"Is there any way that I can talk you out of this insanity?" Shego implored.

"I told them I would help," Kim insisted.

"Even if it means you're probably going to die?" Shego asked.

"I told them I would help," the redhead repeated.

Shego nodded. "All right, so I guess you have at least one more volunteer. Ryu, you can do what you want."

"You know I'm coming if you are and if Aunt Kim is," Ryujin stated.

"What if we don't want your help? Last time you and Kim were in the same area you damn near got her killed," Jim pointed out, glaring at the leader of the western half of the world.

"You really want to have this argument right now? When you know you need more people and you know we're all probably going to die anyway?" Shego countered. "You save your bullshit for the afterlife when I can tell you 'I toldja so' after you and Tweedle Dum have finished bitching."

The twins agreed and there was an uneasy truce between them. Jim and Tim explain what needed to be done to Shego and Ryujin. The pair of westerners looked extremely skeptical, but they still agreed to help. Ryujin offered to accompany Kim while Shego was ordered to go with the twins, so they could keep an eye on her. Emerald eyes rolled, but she moved out when the twins ordered it.

"I have got to be in love, following these idiots that hate me because Kim was going to go in anyway," Shego muttered to herself. Of course, this one reinforced one belief that she had since she was young, which was: love makes you stupid, very, very stupid.

-8-8-8-8-

"Have they educated you on how the Hive works?" Ryujin asked Kim as they walked through the tunnels that led to where they needed to be.

"They made sure I knew everything about the place before we left. They're my brothers. They're not going to let me walk into a dangerous place without telling me everything necessary about it," she answered defensively.

"Okay, okay. I just wanted to be sure. The last time the Rebels tried this, a lot of them were killed. I don't get what makes this time any different or why they would try this again," the blond explained.

"They said before they just tried to disrupt the Bebes electronically and they weren't as worried about the blasting power of the bombs. This time, they have everything armed for both electronic destruction and physical destruction."

"Do they have an escape plan, though? They do know that the Hive changes shape like every hour or if there's an intruder alert. We can't possibly get out the same way we got in," Ryujin pointed out.

"They thought of that, too. Each team has one of these." Kim held up a device that looked like a smartphone. "We pull it into the nearest computer console or door or anything and enter the code. It'll open every door in the Hive and we'll be able to get out just the way we came."

Ryujin nodded. "Wow, they did that? Uncle Wade couldn't even crack the codes of the Hive."

Kim smiled with pride. "Yeah, the tweebs were always smart. They have Wade beat, I guess, since there's two of them. I imagine if there were two of Wade, you guys wouldn't even have to worry about Junior."

"You have a lot of faith in Uncle Wade. I don't understand why you trust him so much, but not Shego. What did Shego do to you?"

"You mean aside from try to kill me countless times? She's been my enemy since I was fifteen. She's evil," Kim proclaimed with more conviction than she felt. She thought about that dream that she had and wondered just how "evil" Shego really was, especially considering the fact that she now knew that she had been trapped for twenty years because she decided to save Shego from Drakken. It did not help that she had seen so many people with faith in Shego and love for her through out her journey in the west. Shego had touched a lot of lives, directly or indirectly.

"You don't honestly believe that. After all, if that were true, she wouldn't have spent twenty years looking for you," he pointed out.

Kim could not call him a liar on that one, but she decided not to dwell on it. She needed to stay focus on the problem at hand. It would continue to niggle at the back of her mind, though.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Ryujin muttered as they came to the end of the tunnel. He then flashed Kim a smile. "At least I get to be crazy with the Legend. Beats listening to the ramblings of my aunt before we die," he joked.

"You still think of me as the Legend?"

"Nobody else would walk into Hell and survive long enough to do something this crazy, except for the Legend. Sorry I was so harsh on you before, but if you knew the picture everybody built in my head of you, you'd understand why I thought you should be able to fly, shot lightning, and teleport," he said.

She laughed a little. "You really must be nervous if you're explaining yourself."

"I have to be. I don't think you know how many people have died doing something like this. Let's just say the number could fill a large town."

Kim chuckled again, not wanting to think about that. They then rushed into the dark Hive, not surprised that there was no light in the place outside of the sun shining in from the few windows on that floor. They needed to find their way through the darkness to get to the place perfect for the explosives.

-8-8-8-8-

"Why the hell did I follow you into this place with this dumbass plan? Gonna get fucking killed," Shego grumbled as she sliced off the head of an attacking Bebe with a plasma-charged karate chop.

"We didn't expect them to know we were here this fast," Tim admitted as he and his twin fought back to back. They took out Bebes with guns as well as special concussion gloves that took out Bebes in one blow.

"You think that Vivian didn't improve security since the last fucking time you were here? Goddamn, you're possibly the dumbest smart people I ever met and considering I knew Drakken that says a fucking lot," Shego huffed.

"The feelings mutual considering what you've done, or should I say haven't done, about Junior," Jim countered.

"I could really learn to hate you two," Shego said.

Of course, that was a lie. The Possible twins could get her killed and meet her in Hell and she would probably just bitch to them before showing concern. As much as she was sure they hated her, she could not hate them, not after Kim, not after the doctors Possible, and not after living with Trin and Joss for so long. Besides, before all of that, they had liked her at one point, grieved with her over Kim, and cheered her on as a hero, but, like everything else in the world, they had changed.

"You'll change your mind when we take out this whole factory," Tim replied.

"_If_ you mean and only if we get the fuck out of here," Shego corrected him.

"We're being attacked on all sides! I don't think we'll be able to plant the explosive pack!" a cry came from over the twins' comm-units.

"We're boned," Shego groaned as another flood of Bebes rushed into the area.

The twins did not say anything. They just fought against the Bebes and tried their best to get to where they needed to put the explosives. Another call over the comm-unit let the pair know that they had lost a team and another soon followed. Shego snarled at the second report.

"I've got to get Kim! I won't let her or Ryu die in this rat trap!" Shego proclaimed and began working her way to where she thought Kim and Ryu would be. The twins followed her, obviously concerned for their sister.

"Kim, what's going on? Where are you?" Tim demanded, speaking into his comm.

"Ryujin and I have planted the explosive and we're on our way out," Kim answered.

"You did?" Tim blinked in surprise.

"Let's all get the hell out of here then," Shego snarled.

The twins were inclined to agree, especially when the third team stopped answering their radios. That only left one team aside from the twins and Kim with Ryujin. The twins did not say anything and just followed Shego, who seemed to know exactly where she was going. Besides, her glowing hands were the best source of light.

"Kim? You okay, princess?" Shego called as she saw the mane of red hair just ahead of her.

"We're fine," Ryujin replied as he just appeared out of nowhere. "We're ready. What about you?"

Shego shook her head. "We're ready to get out of here. The Bobbsey twins can blow whatever they want once we get to the tunnels."

Tim and Jim shrugged in agreement. The group took off and the twins ordered the remaining team to get out while they could. As soon as they hit the escape tunnels, Jim pressed the switch to denote the explosives.

"Hopefully, those three minutes we were in there changed the world," Tim muttered a prayer. No one else said anything as they made their getaway.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Junior does not take this attack sitting down. He will have his revenge as far as he is concerned.


	24. 2:11: U turn

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryujin belongs to YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

Pictures of Hyperion and Try-Acid (take out the spaces): http:/ /yogurthfrost. deviantart. com/ gallery/ 3990663#/ds67qm

2.11: U-turn

"What do you mean there was an attack on the Hive? What was the damage, Doctor Porter?" Junior inquired, doing his best to remain patient. He scowled as he leaned back into the chair. His jaw was tense and in on the inside his muscles tightened slightly.

"There were massive explosions and huge electromagnetic pulses on two main quadrants."

"What of the Bebes? Are they still functional?" he demanded, glaring at the communication device that they were speaking through.

There was a low growl. "The newer models were wiped out in the attack. The others have been trying to repair the damages."

"How long will it take for this to occur?" he sniffed heatedly.

"From the initial scans it could take weeks to repair the damage. One of the explosives was very well planted, taking out much of the main computer that inputs the Bebes basic command units."

"How could this happen? The Hive is one of the most secure facilities on the planet. How could it just suddenly be infiltrated?"

"I suspect the Rebels were behind this. They have tried twice before if you remember."

"Never with this much success. Has something changed?" Junior inquired and there was a suspicious hitch to his voice.

"Is there something that you are implying, emperor?"

"Well, who was with them to make it so far?"

"There is evidence that Shego was here."

"Ah, ha. And anyone else?" he pressed.

"The Rebels. We have the bodies to prove that. I'm sure those Possible twins were here. The ninja that wears white was definitely here as he left behind blonde hairs and bits of his uniform. After a brief scan, there was evidence of red hairs found, but we have not tried to match those yet."

He arched an eyebrow. "Really? Are you going to tell me that you are ignorant that Kim Possible has somehow been revived and undoubtedly with Shego when this occurred?"

"Kim Possible? Kim Possible is dead. Drakken never lets us forget that fact," she stated plainly.

"Apparently, Drakken has overstated his accomplishment in this area. Make no mistake, Kim Possible will die soon if she was part of this as I suspect she was. But, the question is, doctor, will you join her and dare to betray me?"

"I would never do anything to help that bitch Shego!" Vivian declared in a powerful voice.

His eyebrow went up again, not that she could see since they did not have a visual going during this talk. "Never? Even if Kim Possible suddenly appears and allies herself with Shego? Don't forget, doctor, that I know all about you. I know Kim Possible helped make your career possible. She helped make you the person that everyone swore would revolutionize the robotics industry. I know you and she were close for a time."

Vivian growled. "You know everything about me, then you know why I could never be on Shego's side. Never. Now, if that's all, I have repairs to make." She disconnected the communication before he had could accuse her of anything else. Not surprisingly, he called back.

"How dare you hang up on your emperor!" his voice roared.

"How dare you accuse me of being a traitor! I have been here with you since almost the first day looking to destroy that bitch and you think I sabotaged my own buildings, my own creations, in a rather half-ass way might I add, to help her? How dare you!" she countered.

Taking a deep breath, Junior composed himself. "My apologies, Doctor Porter. You're right. I'm just frustrated with these happenings. First Hench was hit and now you. I must make it a point to crush Shego now if she is allying herself with the Rebels and making such bold attacks on my empire. Send me all of the Bebes you can spare. I will crush her with our forces now before this gets out of control."

"Of course."

The communication was mutually disconnected that time. Junior sighed and leaned back in his chair. Bringing his hand up, he stroked his chin in thought as he brought up a map of the western lands. His dark eyes studied it sharply, looking for the perfect place to destroy and ruin the country of Kimber.

"I will not let Kim Possible or that traitorous bitch Shego take everything I have worked for. I will not only crush them, but all of the hope and cheer that they dare to bring anyone who opposes me. And I know just where to hit them," Junior decided as a cruel smirk curled onto his lips.

-8-8-8-8-

"That was by far the most reckless thing you two have ever done and considering what I've see you do, that says a lot!" Shego barked at the Possible twins as they headed back to the temporary headquarters for the Rebels.

"It was better than our last two attempts!" Jim roared in return.

"Meaning your whole fucking team wasn't killed! That's a not a goddamn accomplishment! You almost got us all killed, Kim included!" Shego pointed out, making sure to motion toward the redhead.

"Whoa, how about you leave me out of this? Ryujin and I did our parts with almost no problems at all," Kim reminded them.

Ryujin nodded. "We work well together. I can see how she's the Legend. Those Bebes never saw us coming until the point of touch down and by then it was too late for them," he reported with pride.

"This was still a fool's errand and we're all fools for carrying it out. Innocent lives were lost and for practically nothing. You don't think Junior has a billion of fucking Bebes just waiting in the wings for something like this? He's not completely stupid, you know," Shego snorted.

"That's just one Dragon respecting another," Tim commented, shaking his head. There seemed to be a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Shego is not a Dragon! We are Knights and she is the Savior!" Ryujin declared.

"She's got you brainwashed, just like she has Trin and Wade brainwashed. They seem to forget that it's Shego's fault Kim was lost in the first place," Jim proclaimed. Shego actually flinched from that statement, as if it hit her on the chin.

"That's not fair," Shego growled.

"Hey, that's not fair. Shego wasn't the reason I was lost. I made the decision to push her out of the way," Kim stated and four pair of wide eyes turned to her.

"You … You remember?" the western ruler asked in a shaking tone.

"I remember what happened that day. It's in pieces, but I remember pushing you out of the way and then getting trapped. I don't remember what was happening, though," Kim admitted. Pieces of things still flashed through her mind, but nothing came together and made sense. Hell, even what she remembered barely made sense because it was still jumbled.

Shego swallowed hard. "But, nothing else in your memory came back? Nothing about college or senior year or anything?"

"Not much about college. Junior year and senior year are still pretty fuzzy. I've got pieces, but still nothing makes sense. They come to me like dreams, so it's hard to make out what's going on," Kim explained.

"So, you don't remember …" Shego swallowed the rest of the question and shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important. At least you're alive. That's what's important. Now, we have to get back to Kimber. We need to get prepared for Junior's attack."

"If he's even capable of attacking anymore. We had to have dealt him significant damage today," Tim pointed out.

Shego just shook her head. She pressed forward and they reentered the Rebels headquarters. Betty was there with a grim look in her eye. Shego sighed, knowing she did not want to hear what the former director had to say, but she probably needed to.

"You guys are in some shit, Shego," Betty declared as she marched up to them.

"Of course because life is never interesting enough," Shego muttered. "What's going on?"

"You shouldn't even bother to warn her. She's an ungrateful bitch and she's just going to take Junior's place if she wins," Jim proclaimed with a sneer.

"That's not true," Ryujin argued, stepping up. He was stopped by Shego's hand on shoulder.

"I'm not going to stand here and have this bullshit argument with you people again. If you have a problem with me, kill me right now. If not, tell me what the hell is going down in Kimber, so I can hopefully stop it," Shego demanded.

"According to our sources, Junior was not at all happy with what happened at the Bebe factory. He's actually worried that the Bebe production was damaged and he's not going to give you a chance to deal him anymore blows. He knew you were there and he's also blaming your side for that virus that attacked Hench's capital," Betty reported.

"Virus?" Shego echoed and her eyes instinctively drifted over to Kim, who looked entirely too innocent. "Okay, I'll take credit for that since he's putting it on me anyway. What's the attack going to be?"

"He's going to unleash Hell. Whatever Bebes that he has left, Hyperion, and quite possibly Try-Acid. He's going to overwhelm you and take out the county that feeds your war machine … as well as everything else in Kimber once he's done there," Betty said.

"Jannika," Ryujin gasped. "He can't do that. He would kill tens of thousands instantly just attacking the place and hundreds of thousands due to the famine that it would cause once he destroys the place."

"I think that's the point, kid," Shego snorted. "Junior doesn't care about the body count as long as he still has some people left to rule over and the country to rule. He's proven that time and time again."

"We need to get back. We need to prepare," Ryujin pointed out.

"Damn right we need to get back. Shit, I'll be damned if I let this bastard wipe us out," Shego proclaimed. "Let's go," she ordered the white-clad ninja. The pair turned to leave. A pleasant surprised followed them.

"Wait, Kim, where are you going?" Jim called out.

"I'm going with them, back to Kimber, to Jannika," Kim answered as if it was obvious. It actually stopped Shego and Ryujin in their tracks.

"You can't just leave us," Jim said. "Not after we finally got you back! You can't side with the woman that almost got you killed in the first place! You can't side with the woman that's going to take over the world!"

Kim turned to regard her brother. She stepped over to the twins and took both of their hands into each of her own. They looked down at the joined hands before looking at her.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm going to help, which I wish you two would do, but I understand your feelings toward Shego. I don't understand her now much, but I do know that she takes care of a lot of people in Kimber and they depend on her. I can't believe the absolute worst about her like you two. I also can't just stay here while thousands could be killed," she explained in a whisper.

"You're helping the enemy," Jim informed her.

"Be that as it may, I can't not do anything. I need to help people. You know how I am. I couldn't have changed that much," she pointed out.

"We know you, Kim, and we know what you do. Go be the hero you are. We'll be here," Tim replied in a low tone.

"You can't say that, Tim. You can't just tell her to go off with the woman that'll get her killed! The woman that damn near did get her killed! The woman that got our parents killed and brainwashed the last family we had!" Jim threw his hands up in disgust and stormed away. Kim tracked him with concerned eyes that turned back to Tim as he squeezed her hand.

"I'll handle him. He's been hurt a lot of the years and hasn't coped with it as well as I have. I don't know why considering we're practically the same person," he joked, forcing out a small laugh.

"Grief is different for everybody. Besides, while I want to help, I can't say that I trust Shego much more than you two, but I do have to help because all of those people in her country are innocent and deserve life," Kim commented.

Tim smiled and glanced over her. "I will be honest with you, Kim, the hostility is only recent since Mom and Dad died. Before that, we got along pretty well with her after we got over the idea that she was trying to replace you. She really wanted to be there for us and she would always ask if we needed anything. At first, we were awful to her, but as we got older, we understood she was just trying to do right by you. Unfortunately, as time went on even more we started to figure that she was just trying to take over the world like Junior was. Kim, don't get me wrong, I'm almost certain that Shego is a Dragon, which means she's a bad guy, but the people that live in her country aren't. So, do what you have to do to help those people."

Kim smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best. Thank you."

"No problem. Go save the world, Kim Possible."

Kim nodded again and hugged her brother. She then marched over back to Shego and Ryujin. She smiled at them.

"Let's go save some people," Kim proclaimed.

"Just that simple?" Shego asked, even though she knew that it should have been. It was just hard to believe that Kim was leaving with her voluntarily.

"I can fight, right?" Kim countered.

"I wouldn't dream of standing in your way, Princess," Shego replied with a smirk. "Let's get going. We have a lot to prepare for and not a lot of time."

-8-8-8-8-

"Are you sure that Junior's going to attack Jannika? Director could've been pulling your leg. You know she doesn't trust you," Wade pointed out, talking to Shego through their kimmunicators. He was pacing his lab with Trin, Tatsu, Shin, and Shadow Hand watching him. Amy was following his path, undoubtedly trying to pull him in a hug to help calm him down. He was moving too quickly for her to pin down, though.

"Director gets inside information. I don't ask how and I don't care, but she's never lied when she's given me a tip. She's on the money all the time, too. She might not trust me, but she knows we're all that stand in the way of Junior and total world domination. So, we need all of our forces protecting Jannika. Unfortunately, she didn't know where he would attack, but I feel like it might just be a massive air strike to take out any farming areas and ports that get food out of there," Shego stated.

"He could fire bomb us to his heart's content from the air. Are you sure he'd want to do something so impersonal, though?" Shin inquired, having to shout since Shego was only on Wade's kimmunicator and Wade was too busy pacing to think to put the communication through out the room.

"I doubt he would do something so impersonal considering what he's blaming me for. Apparently, aside from helping blow up the Hive, I had a hand in some computer virus that hit Hench's city. I'll take that one, but I think we have to figure out where he would want to hit personally in Jannika. It's going to be something that means a lot to us. A symbol that hurts our morale and tears into us. What do we got?" Shego demanded.

"More than likely the Memorial Park. It has shrines to dozens of victims and families. There's the statues to your parents, my parents, Uncle Slim, Ron's parents, shrine to damn near the whole Yamanouchi Ninja clan, Yori-chan, and that shrine to Kim," Trin pointed out.

"Shrine to me?" Kim echoed in the background.

"Kim is with you?" Wade inquired in a confused tone.

"You're too smart to start asking stupid questions, Load. Kim's with me. Kim, yes, you have a shrine. Back to the important questions. Doctor Blondie, that one sounds good. The last time he attacked Jannika, he did try to take out the Park. I don't think I've ever seen our soldiers fight as hard as that day. All right, all hands on deck for this. I want all long ranged firearms pointed at the air. I want our men on the ground and armed to the fucking teeth. I want everything we could possibly hit this fucking guy with. And I want Junior's head on a fucking pike if we can make that happen. Let's get to it people!"

"Aye, sir!"

"Aye, sir?" Kim echoed with a chuckle.

"Don't start, Princess."

"Shego, you do realize you haven't disconnected the communication, right?" Wade pointed out.

"Goddamn it!" The call was disconnected that time.

"Love is going to get her killed because her concentration is shot to hell," Shin commented with a chuckle as he hopped to his feet. He cracked his knuckles. "Now, let's go kick Junior's ass. I'm tired of this bastard, anyway."

"Uh … I'm pretty sure we all are. I know what we can do since practically she already said she wanted us to," Trin said as a smile curled onto her pale features.

"That looks somewhat scary," Shin said while pointing to the smile on his "evil twin's" face. "We haven't seen that in a while. Does it have anything to do with the little toy we've been working on?"

"Of course. Junior wants to punish us, then let's throw a little bit back at him. Let's go prepare the toy for launch. The second we see a sign of him, we'll send him a little present," Trin decided.

"I'd suggest getting the boss to sign off on that, but I have a strange feeling that's going to be met by one of your 'fuck you' glances," Shadow Hand said and he was correct.

"Let's get moving people. It's not every day that we have forewarning about incoming jackassery!" Wade proclaimed and that did get everyone moving. They had lots to do and very little time to do it.

-8-8-8-8-

"How are we doing on battle stations?" Shego demanded to know the second that she walked into the temporary base that was set up in Jannika, very close to Memorial Park in one of the busiest ports in the world. Ryujin and Kim were right behind her.

"Hello to you, too, darling," Shin joked from his space around a 3D map of the island that the group was focused on.

"Everyone is set up and everyone knows their positions. We're ready for Junior. It was confirmed that he has a massive amount of Bebes in the ready position and they'll probably be flying in from the west, thinking we wouldn't expect him to come that direction," Wade reported.

"Good. We need to get into position, too. Kim, you can hang out with Ryujin. Help with the ninja squad. They're our first line of defense," Shego said.

"You cannot be serious about putting her in the field," Shadow Hand growled, stepping over to Shego.

The pale ruler inclined her head and stared at the lead ninja. "I'll put her wherever I want to put her because I'm the woman in charge. If you want to be in charge, let me know. There's an unspoiled beach somewhere calling my name. Just say the word," she dared him.

Shadow Hand grunted before walking away. Shego shook her head and turned her attention to Kim and Ryujin. She arched an eyebrow.

"You two nutty kids still here? Go find the ninjas and get into position!" Shego ordered, pointing out the door. Ryujin and Kim bolted off while emerald eyes stayed with her crew. "Where do I need to be?"

"You're with me again. We're going to work on take our any airborne Bebes that stray too close as well as any ground forces," Wade replied.

"Good. Anything else I need to know?" Shego inquired.

"We're bombing Junior in about ten minutes," Trin reported blandly.

"You guys finished your little toy already?" Shego's eyebrows shot up in curiosity. "Bomb the shit out of him, then. What are we targeting? Not a city, right?"

"Of course not!" Shin huffed indignantly. "We're crazy and indifferent, not monsters! If all goes according to plan, we're actually got it targeted to Junior's flying citadel."

"You guys really have range like that?" Shego asked in disbelief.

"Or so we hope," Trin muttered. "If all goes correctly, the missile will hit the flying citadel. If not, it will probably fly off course and just explode in the air. There's almost no chance that it'll hit the ground and kill any of his slaves or such. Unfortunately, I can't say people won't die if we do directly hit the citadel as planned. Still, something like this would be big against him."

"Then do it," Shego ordered.

"Hopefully, he won't see this shit coming," Shin grinned.

-8-8-8-8-

Before Kim and Ryujin got too far, Tatsu caught up with them. She pulled Kim off to the side a little, just indicating that they were having a private conversation, but not far enough for Ryujin to not hear. Neither of them thought he would do anything with anything that he heard; he was a good egg.

"I brought the Toltec in case you want to use it," Tatsu stated.

"Really?" Kim almost squeaked in surprise.

"It's a weapon. Use it to the best of your ability," Tatsu replied.

"I will. Now, let me and Ryujin go get into position," Kim said.

Tatsu nodded. "Good luck. Stay alive, both of you," she seemed to order.

Ryujin smiled; he looked very familiar to Kim whenever he did that. He seemed like a clone of Ron as far as facial expressions went, which made her more comfortable with fighting by his side. The pair trotted off, going to find the ninjas. It did not take long and Ryujin spotted his aunt immediately. He walked over to Shadow Eyes with Kim following behind him.

"She's with us?" Shadow Eyes inquired with what seemed like an arched eyebrow, but it was hard to tell with her head covered in black and pink garments. She nodded toward Kim, but she was speaking to Ryujin.

"We're quite lucky to have the Legend," Ryujin declared.

"I didn't say we weren't. I just remember the last time I saw her, she was on the ground about to be devoured by a Bebe if it weren't for you," Shadow Eyes pointed out.

"And you're probably the one that spread all the rumors about it after it happened, big mouth. She's with us. Shadow Hand did not object and the Savior commanded it. She is with us and we are lucky to have her," Ryujin stated. "It is our honor," he growled in a low tone.

Shadow Eyes nodded. "Fine, it is our honor to have you, Kim Possible the Legend," she said and it sounded like she was smiling. Kim smiled, too.

-8-8-8-8-

They saw the mechanical locusts before they saw any of the Bebes. The locusts were very much like the actual insects and they devoured everything that was within their sights. It was clear from their arrival that Junior did not want anything left behind in the attack.

"We're being swarmed!" someone shouted over the din of battle.

"Aunt Kim, stay close. We can watch each other's backs," Ryujin proposed as Bebes rained down on them.

"I got your back no matter what," Kim replied.

Ryujin smiled and the fighting commenced. They certainly were swarmed. The Bebes and locusts blocked out the sun and the sky. It looked the entire Earth was covered in metallic grey. Thankfully, all of the civilians had been hidden in shelters, but that would not last long if Shego's forces lost the battle.

"Don't get separated!" Shadow Eyes called to the ninja warriors as Bebes began throwing them about like children's toys. "Make our leader and our fallen forefathers proud! We cannot die on the shrine to the Yamanouchi clan!"

The ninjas let out a cry of agreement and continued on fighting with the sea of robots. Kim was with them all the way; she even managed to take down a Bebe or two before they would have torn into Ryujin's back. Of course, he had done the same. Shadow Eyes smiled at the sight before turning her full attention to the battle.

-8-8-8-8-

"Why does it always seem impossible?" Shin wondered aloud as he unsheathed his sword as the flood of Bebes made their way toward him, Trin, Joss, and the rest of Trin's command.

"Because it wouldn't be any fun if we absolutely knew we'd walk away from this unscathed," Trin pointed out in a dull tone as she pulled her blade from her hip.

"No challenge in it either," Joss remarked as she cracked her knuckles and then unholstered the guns at her sides.

"Well, at least we know we fucked Junior in the ass if we don't get out of this one since we got to let that missile fly," Shin said with a smile.

"Plus, we'll get to see him in Hell one day," Trin added.

"It'll be like kicking his ass on the daily basis then," Joss grinned while firing at the Bebes with two handguns in her grip. Her aim was true and she wasted no ammo, always hitting target.

"For now, let's kick his ass in this life and then worry about the next," Trin remarked.

"Agreed," Joss and Shin stated as the Bebes were upon them. They wasted no time slicing through, or blasting through in Joss' case, every robot that came near them. The rest of Trin's forces just tried to keep up with the trio.

-8-8-8-8-

"Do you really think letting them launch that missile was the right thing to do?" Wade asked Shego from their spot on a hill. The Bebes were making their way toward them.

"I think it'll give Junior some pause. It's one thing for Hench's city to be hit and the Hive, but it's another thing for us to have something to reach his citadel. If this works, I'll let them make others and we'll knock his home out of the sky permanently," Shego replied.

"Yeah, we just have to live through this."

"Well, then don't die," she said as if it was the simplest thing on Earth as she ignited her hands. It did not faze her that tens of thousands of Bebes and probably just as many robot locusts were heading straight for them.

"Oh, yes, it's so simple," Wade mocked her.

"It is. Think of it this way, if you die, Amy will fucking kill you," Shego reminded him, pointing behind where Amy stood with her army of animals as well as Shadow Hand backing her up. Wade gulped and nodded.

By the time the Bebes and locusts made it to them, it was quite clear that Shego's forces were simply outnumbered by too many. They were used to being outnumbered, but it was never by what seemed like infinite forces. They were going to be overwhelmed and it was not going to get any better, she knew. Unfortunately, there was no retreat. They were all to remain or Junior would kill everyone anyway.

-8-8-8-8-

"This isn't good," Kim realized as she was being pushed further and further away from Ryujin. They had already clicked enough to just expect the other to be watching their back, so if they were getting split up, they were in serious trouble. "Ryujin!"

"Kim!" he replied, close enough to at least still hear her. "Can you get back to me?" he hollered, fighting off dozens of Bebes.

Kim grunted as she blocked as attack using her forearm, luckily her battle suit could force an energy shield to fend off the blow. "I don't think so!" she answered, getting pushed back even more. It was clear that the Bebe strategy was "divide and conquer."

"I'll try to get to you!"

"Don't bother!" she replied with a snarl as she forced back several Bebes thanks to her battle suit. While the suit definitely enhanced her abilities and gave her several weapons, including short-range energy beams as well as a way to reflect Bebe attacks back to them, it still was not enough.

"I have to try!" Ryujin proclaimed as he pushed back against their enemies. "It is my honor!"

"It's not honor to die on the battle field, Ryujin. I got this one," Kim declared and she pressed a button on her wrist kimmunicator.

"Kim, are you summoning me?" the Toltec actually sounded surprised.

"No simulations anymore, buddy. Real deal. Get your ass over here!" she ordered.

"Yes, sir."

Barely half a minute later, there was a gap in the Bebes in the sky. The Bebes rained down as a much larger machine settled on the battlefield. The ninjas all looked for briefly and Kim wondered if they thought that they were looking at the latest incarnation of the Bebes. They were utterly shocked when the Toltec's chest opened and Kim leaped in.

"Toltec, show me what you got," Kim grinned.

"Target's locked on and weapons are ready to engage. You know them all, Kim," the Toltec reminded her.

"Indeed I do."

Kim let several missiles from the Paladin's shoulders fire. She pulled the energy sword from the side and cut through all of the Bebes near her. In the Paladin, she could take out over ten Bebes with one sweep of sword. Firing energy beams from the suit's free hand, she could take out even more. She had more than enough missiles hidden all over the Toltec's body to do even more damage. The ninjas could not believe what they were seeing.

"What is everyone gawking for? Help out!" Shadow Eyes ordered. The ninjas went at the Bebes with new vigor.

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim's using the Toltec," Wade muttered in amazement from his space on the battlefield. He actually smiled as he saw it in action. "I never knew it would be that efficient."

"Pat yourself on the back later. Have you gotten the frequency of those damned locusts? We need them taken out before they eat everything, including us!" Shego informed him.

Wade nodded and went back to his assigned task. The locusts had been a horrible surprise, but he was sure that he could take care of them. While Shego protected him, Wade scanned as quickly as he could to gather data on the locusts. They were not as sophisticated as the Bebes were, which he expected. Hench never achieved the same level of brilliance that Vivian did. Shutting the locusts down would not be a problem, but he would need the time.

"Shego, how long can you hold them off?" Wade asked.

Shego smirked like a demon. "However long you need. I refuse to ever fall to Junior!"

Charging her plasma higher, having it seemingly consume her whole body, she took out whatever Bebes were around her. It was going well until a blast of plasma knocked against Shego. Inhaling deeply, Shego ate the blow and turned to where it came from.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't baby Lipsky," Shego remarked with a smirk as she stood face-to-melting-face with Try-Acid. He was nothing more than a massive of green goo in the shape of a man with several orbs floating in his translucent body.

"Hello, traitorous bitch," Try-Acid growled.

"I didn't know your grandmother was still alive," she taunted him, even though she knew that he would not get it. He had the street-smarts of Drakken, after all.

"I'll make sure you're not alive. I'll present your head to my father!" Try-Acid proclaimed.

"Come and get it, big boy. Just remember, the original is always the best," she commented with a devilish smirk. Her plasma flared just a little higher.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and the Toltec proved to be an outstanding team. They more than leveled the battlefield and the ninjas were now starting to push the Bebes back … as well as take the robots apart. And, then suddenly, her alerts went off and the Toltec ducked what looked like a giant ice ball. Kim and the Toltec turned to see what caused the ice.

"Toltec, who or what is that?" Kim asked as they faced a being that appeared in the shape of a man, but was complete ice on his right side and pure fire on his left side.

"Hyperion. He typically works at the behest of General Jack Hench of Neo Roma, but Hench will loan him out to the emperor whenever requested. As obvious by his body, he can control both fire and ice. Proceed with caution. Very deadly," the Toltec reported and loaded all of the statistics onto a screen for the redhead.

"Of course because why should saving the world be easy?" Kim remarked.

"I do not understand," the Toltec said.

"It was just a joke. We'll get you there eventually. For now, let's get this guy."

Dodging a wall of fire, the Toltec launched forward while putting the energy sword away. While Kim had no problem with cutting through Bebes since they were machines as far as she knew, Hyperion seemed to be a person. She did not kill and would not start with him. The Toltec's large fist slammed against hard shield of thick ice.

"I would have expected better of you, Kim Possible," Hyperion said in an arrogant tone that Kim could have sworn she recognized.

"I'm just getting started," Kim declared, raising her energy beam rifle and shooting at the shield. The ice was water in mere seconds and Hyperion then felt the Toltec's shoulder in his chest. He grunted, but was able to hold his ground against the much large machine.

"This might be a challenge yet," the enemy commented with a haughty laugh.

-8-8-8-8-

"I told you the original was best!" Shego snarled as she pushed Try-Acid back with her plasma-charged forearms.

"I'll kill you for betraying my father!" Try-Acid screamed and shifted his body so that Shego lost contact with him. She felt forward and as she tried to catch her footing, he blasted her in the face after turning his body into pure acid.

"Fucking bitch!" Shego cried out in pain as the acid burned her. She wrenched her body backward.

"You will forever bear those scars!" he declared, throwing his arm around to burn her again.

Shego dodged and tried her best to open her left eye, only to find it was seared shut. "I'll forget these were even here tomorrow, but you won't even see tomorrow!" she proclaimed and flung a plasma blast blindly at her foe.

The blast shot through the acid of his body and collided with one of the orbs in his liquid form. The orb exploded and his left arm dissolved. He roared in pain and then advanced on Shego with the intent on ending her clear in his stride.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior sat back smirking as he watched the killing fields on screen in his office. He felt more than confident that he was finally going to crush the last real competition that he faced in complete and total world domination. He would enjoy watching Shego get slaughtered by Try-Acid. He had already ordered Hyperion to take Kim alive and he would use her to pull any other people in line. All he would have to do was show the world that he had conquered their precious Legend, the girl that could do anything, the demi-god that they swore would save the world, and he would have them all bowing to him as they should.

"I will also finally get to take apart that damned fool robot Mirage. How stupid was she to suggest that Kim Possible wasn't a threat, as if Kim would not figure out some way to become a thorn in my—" his speech was cut off as his home shook violently enough that he was thrown to the floor. "What the hell was that?"

Emergency alarms blared as Junior climbed to his feet. Reports flew across his screen as he looked up to find that they had actually been blasted with someone kind of chemical weapon that burned through their defenses before exploding when it contacted the metal hull of the floating fortress. Making matters worse, an electronic pulse from the explosion knocked out most of the computer systems.

"Damn you, Wade, Trin, and Shin. I know this is your doing!" the emperor snarled as reports continued shooting across the screen. Amongst all of information about the fortress he noted one report from the battlefield that said the locusts had contracted a virus and were turning on each other and the Bebes around them. "NO! This was my victory! NOOOO!" he roared before guards rushed into his office to get the emperor to safety.

Due to the emergency back at the capital of the Neo Roma and due to the danger that the emperor was in, a retreat signal was set out to the fighting forces. All hands would be necessary for repairs if the citadel crashed, which was almost certain. None of the scientists or engineers could figure out how to stop their descent, after all.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego's forces cheered as the enemy fled as quickly as they had arrived. She looked on in disbelief before she realized what must have happened. She started laughing, despite the searing pain in her face.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the aftermath of the battle.


	25. 2:12: Haunted

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is also based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

2.12: Haunted

"He damn near melted your eye and you're laughing," Wade commented while making a conscious effort to look at their fearless leader. He was standing with Shego on what was moments ago a battlefield and staring at her burned face. It looked thoroughly damaged, like bubbling pizza.

Shego only laughed more. "It hurts like a motherfucker, too, but I think the retreat was called because someone's missile was right on the money. I think the evil twins actually kicked Junior in the ass," she replied. "Now, let's do a head count and then a casualty count. We obviously need to add more names to the wall in Memorial Park."

Wade nodded and was silent for a moment, just taking in the battlefield. Everyone got to work right after the orders were issued. Eventually, Wade found Kim and congratulated her on her first successful battle as well as her masterful use of the Toltec. She just smiled and hit him with her unique humbleness.

"I just want to pull my weight. It was no big," Kim stated with a shrug.

Wade smiled and laughed. "I knew you would say that. It's actually nice to hear you say it. You helped save this battle. If the Toltec didn't respond to you, we would've been swallowed whole by Junior's forces, especially since I hear Hyperion showed up. Between him and a bunch of Bebes, we'd have a better time with the Bebes."

"No use thinking in 'ifs,' Wade. We won today and that's what's important," Kim said.

Wade nodded and smiled again. Kim walked off before a conversation could get started, feeling like she had something to do; or someone to find anyway. She was in search of Ryujin and did not have to look far. He and Shadow Eyes were standing in front of a statue of what appeared to be Yori with lit incenses in their hands and had their heads bowed. They appeared to be praying.

Kim took a moment to look at the statue and realized that she knew Yori. She recalled that Yori was a ninja and that she had been close to Ron. Staring at the statue for a little longer, she remembered more about Yori; missions, Monkey Fist, Hana, and saving the world from something called Yo No Ono. Yori had been very close to Ron, but Kim was certain that she and Yori ended up friends to a degree.

"I never asked about Yori …" Kim realized and she also realized that if Yori had a statue in what was essentially a garden devoted to those lost in the war, Yori was more than likely dead. Staring at Ryujin, she wondered about him and the fallen ninja. "That's why whenever he said it was his honor, I thought it sounded familiar. Is he related to Yori?" Kim recollected that Yori, if she were alive, would be in her forties. "Is he Yori's son?"

Thinking that might be the case, Kim decided to leave Ryujin to remember Yori with his aunt. Walking off to explore the rest of the park, she noted Shadow Hand standing in the distance, watching Ryujin and Shadow Eyes. She stored the image away, but did not think much on it yet. Marching onward, she saw walls with names cutting through the park like a maze and she guessed those were the fallen warriors. She strolled past shrines, including one to her own parents.

The shrine was not ornate, which she knew her parents would have appreciated. It was two life-size statues of her parents with an altar in front of them and candles burning. It was housed in a structure that looked like a model of a hospital. It seemed like the shrine was more there for people to leave items for the doctors than anything else. It was there for people to remember the good doctors.

She stopped there and just read everything that was there. People wrote wonderful messages to the doctors in the afterlife. There was a scroll that listed their achievements and brought tears to Kim's eyes. She could not stand around after that, feeling agony tear through her. She rushed off, not seeing where she was going and ran right into the last person she wanted to see.

"Careful, cupcake. Wouldn't want you to live through that crazy battle only to fall off a cliff," Shego remarked with a chuckle as Kim knocked into her.

"Sorry," the redhead muttered and then she took a good look at Shego's face. "What happened to you?"

"Got burned. Try-Acid is pretty unforgiving," Shego said with a forced laugh. She could just imagine how horrible she looked if the pain meant anything. But, she could not slow down or rest because there were so many things to do. "I probably look like Freddy Kruger or something, huh?"

"Uh … yeah. Are you okay?" Kim asked with concern, squinting to get a good look at Shego's horrid wounds.

Shego smiled. "Fine. It'll heal up fine by the end of the week. It definitely hurts like a bitch right now. What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to look around. What are you doing out here?"

Shego rubbed the back of her head and took a deep breath. "Just visiting the folks," answered after a moment and motioned the statue that she was standing in front of.

Kim turned to look and took in the marble figures before her. A male and female figure stood in fighting stances. They were life-size, like the doctors Possible. The woman was clearly taller and looked very much like Shego. The male was stocky and muscular with wild hair. Kim knew what statues of the couple meant.

"I'm so sorry, Shego. Your parents died fighting this war?" Kim asked quietly.

"No need to be sorry, Pumpkin. They knew the risks and I'm no worse off than thousands of other people today, yourself included. Did you see your parents' shrine?" Shego countered.

Kim nodded and fought off a frown. "I did. How did your parents die?"

"With their boots on, just how they wanted it. My parents were fighters, warriors, and more than prepared to die. They were more than happy to die to try to save the world from terror and tyranny," Shego muttered as she reached out a hand and placed on the foot of her father's statue. Sniffling a little, she was able to fight back any tears. She was sure the fact that her tear ducts were probably seared shut helped.

"You miss them." It was not something that Shego was used to hearing and Kim was a little surprised to have said it, mostly because it never occurred to her that Shego had parents in the first place.

The older woman nodded and shrugged a little. "Yeah. Can't help but miss your parents when they die."

Kim nodded. "Sorry, but I never thought of you having parents. I mean, I know you had to have some, but it never crossed my mind, not even when I met your brothers …" Olive eyes went wide and she gasped. "Oh, my god, Shego, you had brothers. I remember we helped them when their powers were stolen. How are they? Did they die?" the younger woman asked in a frantic rush.

Shego chuckled and shook her head. "No, stupidity is too hard to kill. Junior captured them. I'm not too sure what's happening with them, but I doubt that he killed them. As far as I know, they're trapped in his citadel, which is impossible to break into. I'll get them back someday." It was a vow she made often and knew in her heart that she would not die until she fulfilled that promise.

"How do you know he didn't …" Kim trailed off and glanced away.

"He would've sent me their heads if he had. He's that much of a bastard, ask Joss."

Kim's eyes went wide as she gasped. "He didn't!"

"That much of a bastard." Shego would have loved nothing more than to stand there and speak with Kim in a civil manner all day, but she did not have that luxury. She hoped that Kim having a conversation with her meant something good. "Well, Kimmie, there's much to be done and I should get to work. Still looking to make yourself useful?"

"I'm always glad to be of service for the greater good," Kim replied with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad you see my side as the greater good. I thought for sure you'd stay with your brothers," Shego accidentally admitted. She winced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Right after that, she hoped her burns hid the fact that she flinched.

"I considered it for a long time, but I knew I could help more by staying with you. Besides, I want to keep an eye on you, anyway. I didn't come with you because I trust you, Shego. I'm almost certain that if given the chance, you'd set yourself up as the next emperor of the world."

Shego's face fell, but it was almost impossible to tell because of the burns. She walked off and Kim followed her. She muttered something that Kim could not really hear, but it sounded like "always wrong to hope."

-8-8-8-8-

Junior's citadel was on the ground for the first time since it was constructed. Junior had gotten out safely, but much of the citadel was damaged. Junior watched from his temporary home, a lush tent in the desert that covered Neo Roma. His ultimate fortress had been partially conquered.

"Hench," Junior growled as the man entered the tent. The ruler of the east was sitting in a plush chair, leaning back as if he was still sitting at his desk.

Jack Hench still wore suits just as he had twenty-five years ago, but that was about the only thing familiar in his appearance. His skin was now a light violet skin that was flawless, ageless. A purple band that allowed him to actually see things in several different views, including infrared, x-ray, and others covered his eyes. He stood at attention before Junior.

"You called for me, Emperor," Hench said.

"I did. I'm sure you noticed my home," Junior said in a surprisingly calm tone while motioning outside of the tent.

"I did."

"Can you determine what Shego used to do that sort of damage? My scientists have already said it was chemical and then electrical and now they don't seem to have a clue. I know you don't want anything to do with the fighting, but this is just about you assessing the damage and coming up with a weapon. I'll pay you handsomely for it," Junior informed the other man.

Hench nodded because he did not really have a choice. "I will get to it as soon as possible."

"Has Hyperion returned yet?"

"He's on his way with the other troops."

"Good. Tell him to report directly to me when he arrives. I want him to tell me all that he can about that suit he fought along with Kim Possible. Did you receive the recorded data from the Bebes?"

Hench nodded. "I have, sire. I will analysis it as well as get Hyperion's first hand account. Has Doctor Porter contacted you about the data yet?"

"No and I don't expect she will any time soon. The Hive is still extremely damaged and all of her efforts have been in fixing those problems, which I agree with. Shego has gotten too close to us recently. We must pull ourselves together, refocus our energies, and then we must crush her before she gets luckier than she has already," Junior growled.

"Of course, sire."

"Then go now, Hench, and get to work. We must regroup as soon as possible."

Hench nodded and then took his leave. Junior sighed before he turned his attention to his traveling console. He used voice commands to turn it on and to get into contact with Doctor Porter.

"Yes, Emperor?" Vivian answered the call.

"How goes the repairs to the Hive?" he asked.

"As I said they would. Why? Would you like me to do something for you, Emperor?"

"I need you to update the Bebes. They were defeated much too easily, especially by a new toy that Shego had employed. I recommend you watch the data of today's battle as soon as you can and brain storm on upgrades that you can make. Also, I will be using any returning Bebes to help repair damages done to my home. Prepare yourself, doctor. We will decapitate that bitch the next time we face her or I will decapitate you."

"There is no need for such threats, sire. What have I ever done to be threatened so? Have I not always been loyal to you? Have I not done everything that you ever asked of me?" Vivian demanded.

Junior frowned, feeling an intense dislike toward the doctor right now because of her failure robots, even though she was right. Doctor Porter had never done anything to lead him to believe that she was loyal to his side; sometimes, even his cause. She had even made him special armor, which he still wore, even though he did not go into battle. Still, he was just so irritated that he felt like lashing out at who he viewed as the weak link in their chain so far. The Bebes had failed twice as far as he was concerned; once in defending the Hive and the second on the battlefield against Shego.

"You have done everything I have ever asked of you, but your creations are proving useless to me, doctor. You know how I deplore uselessness. Fix your Bebes," Junior commanded.

"I will, highness."

-8-8-8-8-

The communication was disconnected and Vivian sighed. She paced her quarters, which was in the dark, like the rest of the Hive. Light was unnecessary, but Vivian preferred the darkness anyway. It soothed her senses and the soul that lingered underneath the cold, metal shell that now covered her, protected her.

"Show me today's battle," Vivian ordered and data streamed to her from all available Bebes. For a moment all was well and then her body convulsed. "Kim Possible? Kim Possible is alive and siding with that bitch while my beloved didn't even get to leave behind a body to mourn! If there were ever proof that God is unjust let this be it! Where the hell was she when my beloved was being killed by that goddamned devil woman! Where was she when people couldn't even look me in the face because of that evil bitch! And where the hell was she when I lost everything that mattered?"

Vivian was forced to sit down as her mind was assaulted with questions of life. Nothing made sense and all she could see was pure rage. She felt a bloodlust within her thanks to a life of being a cosmic joke. She only wanted two things at the moment.

"Mirage, I need you to come home, now," Vivian ordered.

"Mom?"

"Home, now. Please!"

"Of course, Mom. I'll be there soon. With all of the commotion, no one should notice that I'm gone for a while."

As Mirage said, it took days, but she was home by then. She found Vivian in her chambers, where the scientist had been for days. Vivian was sitting on her bed and brooding, thinking about how unfair life was to her, tormenting herself with distant memories, and hating the world for everything that happened. The second that she noticed Mirage, she put her arms out for an embrace. Mirage fell into Vivian's arms; the movement produced a slightly "ping" sound as metal hit metal.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Mirage asked in a low voice.

Vivian did not answer right away. She reveled in holding her daughter. While Mirage was a Bebe, she was very special to Vivian. Whenever she held Mirage, her sensors did not register the feel of the metal body, but they were both programed to feel the sensation of skin or clothing against them. For them, it was a human mother and daughter embracing. They felt body warmth whenever they touched each other.

Vivian petted Mirage's short blond hair. She even toyed with the tuft of white hairs circling around Mirage's head. Mirage chuckled and cuddled closer into Vivian. The action made Vivian smile because Mirage had done that ever since she was a "child." Now, of course, she was a "teenager" and Vivian was grateful that she was not "too old" to give her mother a hug.

"Were you missing Ma again?" Mirage asked in a quiet tone.

"I always miss your ma. Just as I always miss you when you're not around." Vivian kissed the top of Mirage's head.

"I miss you, too, Mom." Mirage squeezed Vivian tightly around the waist.

"That's because you're a good girl. Now, stand up. Let's see if we should upgrade your body," Vivian commanded in a rather motherly tone.

Mirage groaned. "I don't think you have to do that anymore, Mom. I've seen girls my age and I'm properly developed," she said as she stood up for her mother to inspect her.

"I just want to make sure you age properly. No sense in having your brain and maturity completely pass your body by," Vivian said as she circled Mirage.

She certainly did look like a proper teenage girl. Of course, there was the fact that her body was metallic. Mirage was designed differently from other Bebes, though. Her body was covered in black and yellow armor for added protection, even though she was not a fighter. Vivian just wanted to make sure her daughter was safe. Mirage had black where the whites of her eyes should have been, just like Vivian, while her eye color was a deep crimson, just like Vivian.

Vivian nodded as she finished her inspection. "I suppose this body can stand for a couple more years. How have you been, my dear child?"

"I'm fine, Mom. No one suspects me, if that's what you mean," Mirage answered.

"No, I don't suppose they would. You do appear normal and you act perfectly for someone your age. How long do you suppose you could stay here before you're missed back there?" Vivian inquired.

"Only for a couple of days. It took me so long to get here and it'll take a while to get back. I doubt anyone will notice that I've been gone for nearly a week with all of the cleaning up going on through out all of Jannika." Mirage was silent for a moment before turning to Vivian and looking at her with surprisingly sorrowful ruby eyes. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"You told me that Ma was a woman that believed in justice and doing the right thing. Is it the right thing to help someone kill so many people?" Mirage inquired in a low voice.

"Precious child, we are merely siding with the lesser of two evils. Shego killed your Ma. I don't think she would want us helping the woman that killed her."

Mirage nodded and Vivian pulled her into a hug again. It was to comfort them both and set them at ease. They both sighed.

"I wish I had a chance to get to know Ma in person," Mirage whispered with sorrow in her voice.

"I wish you did, too," Vivian said.

"Would she accept me? I mean, I know you love me, but you made me. I'm not normal."

Vivian pulled away slightly to look her daughter directly in the eye. "She had a huge heart, Mirage. She would have loved you to pieces. You have to believe that."

Mirage nodded. "I do, Mom. She had to be incredible for you to still love her so many years later. I wish I could make the pain go away."

"You could help," Vivian said, her voice suddenly dark.

Mirage blinked several times, as if surprised by the change her mother's tone. She had to take a couple of deep breaths before she could ask the question on the tip of her tongue. "What do you want me to do, Mom?"

"Kill Kim Possible."

"MOM!" Mirage jumped back. "You can't be serious! I could never kill someone, especially someone who hasn't done any harm, not to me, not to anyone. Why would you even ask me to do that?"

Vivian threw her hand out to her side. "Because it's not fair! Why is that she not only gets to live, but has the nerve to side with Shego? Shego, who took everything from me, now has the means to even snatch victory from me! It's not fair! Why does she get everything? Why?" Vivian collapsed against Mirage and actually cried.

Mirage did not even know Vivian could cry. She knew that the metal that covered her mother, that made her look like the ultimate Bebe was nothing more than a chassis and underneath it her mother was as flesh and blood as any other human; or at least what was left of her mother was flesh and blood. But, the fact that she was crying made it obvious that on the inside she was also still human and Mirage sighed in relief. Despite her mother's swirling storm of emotions and hatred, she was not completely lost.

"It'll be okay, Mom. It'll be okay," Mirage whispered and held her mother tightly while Vivian just wept.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim had seen a lot of the island that was named for her parents in the past few days. They were still assessing the damage and it seemed amazing how much carnage was done in such a short time. The first two days had been spent just burying the dead. The battlefield was now also a cemetery. But, it was not the only place that was a graveyard.

"This was once a town, huh?" Kim asked Ryujin as she and the blond ninja inspected the area. It looked nothing like a town beyond the smoldering remains of houses that refused to burn all the way down. Everything was torn apart and blackened by fire.

"Junior was trying to wipe Jannika off the map," Ryujin realized as he took in the carnage. It looked like there were no survivors. "He might as well try to sink the place next time."

"It'll take a long time for this place to get back to however it was before this happened," Kim commented.

"It will, but all citizens of Kimber are ready for this and you just work harder whenever Junior tries to slaughter the lot of us. We bounce back, Aunt Kim. He'll never crush our spirit," Ryujin declared. "We learned that from you."

Kim smiled. "At least my memory was used for something positive."

"And now that you're here and people finally see that you are the Legend, I know we'll only get stronger. Aunt Kim, I don't think you'll ever realize the impact that you have on people."

Kim chuckled a bit and shook her head. "I'm just one person. I want to do more for people, though. I don't want to see any more scenes like this. I don't want any more children losing parents," she whispered.

Ryujin was silent for a long moment. "I wish for the same."

"Ryujin, I never asked and this might not be the time, but did you lose your parents? I only just found out that Shego lost her parents to this war. I've been so focused on myself, I didn't think about the people around me, especially you. You're pretty much my only friend here, well _new_ friend, and I never asked you."

The ninja smiled a bit. "It's quite all right, Aunt Kim. You've had a lot on your plate since you showed up. I lost my mother to this war and I think in a way I lost my father. My mother died while giving birth to me, but she had been gravely wounded in a battle before hand. The shock sent her into labor. I was born a month before I was supposed to be. My dad told me that she held me and named me. Unfortunately, that was the extent of my knowing her."

Kim nodded. "Were you visiting her shrine earlier?"

"Yeah, me and my other aunt. You saw us?"

"Yes, I did."

"Did you know my mother very well? Aunt Trin seemed to know her well, as does Uncle Shin."

"They were closer to her, I think. It's a little fuzzy, so I probably found out about them knowing later in life. My memory is coming back slowly. I think I was pretty good friends with your mom, though. I'm not entirely sure how close we were, but I know we were friends. We even saved the world together once. Was Junior the one that attacked?"

The blond ninja shook his head. "No, another had attacked the school. He was a Dragon. He didn't succeed, but he attacked the Yamanouchi School several times before he was stopped. During one attack, he was the one that fatally wounded my pregnant mother. He was the first monster I had ever seen. It haunts my dreams to this day," Ryujin said in a whisper.

Before the conversation could get any deeper, they came across survivors and quickly lost themselves in tending to the people's wounds. Mentally, Kim was still trying to take in the scope of the war. So much had happened. There were so many players and so much tragedy. It seemed impossible to know what side truly understood what it was doing between Junior, Shego, and even her brothers. Junior seemed to want people in the world, but was intent on destroying whatever stood in his way. Shego seemed to be trying to help people, but Kim could not believe that was in her nature. And her brothers, for all of their desire to do the right thing, could not seem to get past their feelings for Shego to step out of the shadows and help the poor people under her rule or the people suffering under Junior's rule.

"I can only do whatever I can to help these poor people. They didn't ask for any of this and they just want to live their lives," Kim muttered to herself as she helped comfort a girl whose leg was blown off while Ryujin cared for the wound.

-8-8-8-8-

The flying citadel, even though it had crashed into the hard earth of the eastern desert, was not much worse for wear. It was busted at the foundation thanks to the impact with the ground, torn somewhat at the side thanks to the missile, and was not going to be ready to fly for sometime. While everyone focused on repairs, no one noticed a thin, beaten body crawl out of the rubble. The broken, tattered form of Bonnie Senior, formerly Bonnie Rockwaller, nearly collapsed against the heavy rocks as she breathed in the hot, heavy air of freedom.

"I made it. I made it," Bonnie whispered in awe as tears flowed down her bruised cheeks. Limping she moved off into the direction of the setting sun, knowing that in the opposite direction was the Great Ocean, which was impossible to cross. She was aware that she would probably die in the desert, but it was worth the try. "Better to die in the sand to be beaten another day," she muttered. If there were any kindness in the universe, anything left untainted by _him_, she would die before he noticed that she was missing. "Please, God, let me die free."

-8-8-8-8-

This is the end of the second array; two down, three to go. The story is going to be gone again until March. Blame it on real life. When it returns, it will still be updated on Thursdays. Thank you for reading and bearing with me. I hope you all come back for the third array.

I would like to thank the following for helping out with this section of the story: YogurthFrost (obviously since it started out as his idea and he helped in the planning), LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), and williamsoft1 (an excellent beta). Thank you all.


	26. Prologue: Life goes on

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

_Third Array: Mythological Proportions_

Prologue: Life goes on

Shego was certain that the world had gone crazy and was well on its way to going to Hell in a hand basket. It had to do with every insane person on Earth with ten dollars and a dream trying to conquer the world, which had to do with the fact that there was no more Kim Possible to save the world. Most villains on the planet assumed that Kim was dead, especially since Drakken continued to crow that he had killed her. It was now rather believable since she had been gone for a whole year. Hell, even Shego sometimes believed that Kim was dead. She often wondered if anyone else that mattered thought the same.

Wade and Ron seemed to hold onto the most hope; probably because they were the ones that searched for Kim the most. Shego surrendered the luxury and time of chasing dreams to be the new Kim Possible. She found it funny that this was almost the same exact gig that she fled in her teens. _Talk about irony,__or maybe poetic justice_. She was not sure which her current life fell under. She didn't really like to think about it, especially since the world seemed to be one big cosmic joke now.

Slowly, but surely more and more psychopaths – as Shego saw them as – had been coming out of the woodwork. She handled more than her fair share, but she was not the only person fighting the good fight. Global Justice still existed and handled more cases than they had in a long time. And, of course, there were still the usual agencies at work, like the FBI, Interpol, and plenty of others. Still there were times when it felt like they were spinning their wheels and not getting anywhere. For every nut-job they put away, five more took his place. Making matters worse for the replacement Kim Possible, many of those other agencies were still trying to put cuffs on her.

Wade had set up a safe house for Shego to stay in when she was not out saving the world. It was not a life that Shego was happy to live, but she still felt like she owed Kim so much. Therefore, she endured the humility of a life in hiding, only coming out to save the world. It was a thankless job for the most part, although she did feel appreciated by the people that mattered. Wade and Ron often visited to keep her company. The doctors Possible made sure that she had whatever she needed to stay comfortable and checked up on her every now and then, which she found she did not mind. Kim's sister, whom Shego had learned was adopted, would even come and cook for the former villain, who about as worthwhile in the kitchen as Kim was. Even the Possible twins came by to show off things that they made and kept Shego sane, which allowed her to show off her engineering skills to the boys and entertain herself in the process.

Other than Wade, Ron, the Possibles, and her own parents, no one in the world seemed to care for Shego. The villain community that she had gleefully been a part of for her entire adult life, rightfully branded her a traitor. She was certain that they hated her more than they could ever hate Kim Possible, which she supposed made sense.

The hero community eyed her with suspicion whenever they were not looking to arrest her for past crimes. Even her brothers did not seem to know what to think of her, running to her a couple of times that year and assuming that she was part of the crime that she was trying to stop. Hego had actually held her for almost a minute before deciding to take her word for it that she was not working for some crazy guy calling himself "Rat Man" and he was plotting to steal all of the world's cheese. Like she would ever be caught dead working for someone like that!

-8-8-8-8-

A familiar beeping noise caught Shego's attention and she picked up her "kimmunicator," as they jokingly referred to her link to Wade and her small circle in the outside world. "Shego," She answered as if the caller expected someone else.

"Hey, Shego. How's everything going?" Wade asked.

"Cut the small talk, Load. What's going on?" Shego demanded in a sleepy tone. She had been knocked out on the couch. She found that she slept at lot more lately. Mostly because she didn't have anything better to do with her spare time when no one was around.

"So cranky. I just got a report about Junior breaking your former employer out of jail. Want to go look into it, or is it too close to home? GJ is still looking for you and everything. I wasn't sure if this was really something you wanted a part of in."

"Honestly, it's not something I want any part of, but Junior can't want Drakken for any thing good."

"Just be careful. We don't know what either of them are up to, and we really don't know much about either of them anymore," Wade warned her because he worried about all of the unknown variables thanks the two very different villains involved.

"I got this, Load. This ain't my first time at the rodeo."

"I'm serious, Shego. It's been a long time since we've seen either of them and we don't know what they're capable of nowadays."

"It's Drakken and Junior, Wade. Not exactly Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer," She remarked.

Wade could not argue with that. Shego did not give him the chance to argue anyway, since she disconnected the communication and went out to track down the odd pair of bad guys. _What the hell are these two up to?_ She would find out sooner or later, and she was sure that it would be stupid. It always was when Drakken was involved.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego started with the most obvious place to search for Junior, and that was his private island. He had been there since the death of his father, which had happened several months ago. Junior had withdrawn from the villainy scene that he had been a part of since the death of his father and recently most people had written him off of the bad guy list; Shego was one of those people. She was not a fan of being proved wrong, especially when Junior wanted to include Drakken in whatever scheme he had going.

There was no sign of the pair at Junior's home and Shego could guess why. Looking around, GJ was crawling all over the place. They had had the same thought about Junior, she guessed. And, best of all, Junior had out maneuvered them all. _Had to be an accident. No way Junior grew a brain after being locked in his house for months on end, especially without Senior around_.

Shego hustled away from the island, not wanting to be caught by any of the GJ agents that were patrolling all over the island. Once she was safe in her small plane, Shego put in a call to Wade. If she could not find Junior, then she would find Drakken. It was not like he was hard to find.

"Hey, Wade," Shego said.

"Yeah? What's up?" he asked.

"Junior's house is pretty much covered with GJ goons, so I think we'll know if they end up going back there. Finding Drakken shouldn't be hard, though. Just look for any place using a ton of electricity that shouldn't be."

Wade scoffed. "I think I know how to track Drakken. I've only been doing this most of my life. I've been keeping track of stuff like that for a while now, but hadn't been paying too much attention to it. Let's see what's going on here." They were silent for the moment, with just the sound of Wade's keyboard clicking. "Oh, crap," he groaned.

"That doesn't sound like a good a 'oh, crap.'"

"There's a good oh, crap? I didn't know that."

"Okay, so what the hell is the problem?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"I had been keeping track of one Of Dementor's lairs, but it's off line for some reason."

"You want me to go check it of while you keep looking for Drakken and Junior?" She hated to think that Dementor might be up to something and had moved in order to get started on his next "brilliant" scheme.

"I don't know. Do you think we have time to mess around with Dementor?" Wade wondered aloud.

"He could be up to something. Remember just last month he had Berlin hostage and he had built that anti-matter gun," Shego reminded him while shaking her head. "I still can't believe how close he came to controlling all of Europe, and how close I came to losing my head."

Wade made an agreeable noise. "You make a point. He did come pretty close to killing you. And GJ was just going to let him!" He let out an annoyed snort as he recalled what happened. "I mean, I know that they don't buy that you're a good guy now and they still want you in jail for what you did with Drakken, but come on! How could they just stand there while he's pointing a weapon at you! Considering how much help you've given them lately, they could've at least had the decency to step in and save your life!"

"Hey! Hey! Calm down, nerdlinger! I don't need you getting all morally outraged on my account. You need to remember that GJ isn't like you, and it isn't like Kim. If they think they can get rid of two dangerous criminals at once, they're gonna go for it. I can't really blame them for that. So, I'm gonna check on Dementor, and you call me back when you find Drakken."

"Sounds good."

The communication was disconnected, but not before Shego heard Wade sigh and she knew that he was thinking of Kim. He missed his mission communications with Kim and Shego knew that she was a poor substitute. She refused to say any "Kim-isms," like the always-expected, "Please and thank you," or the darling "Spanking." It was enough that she was continuing Kim's work. After all, she was not Kim. She was just the reason that Kim could not be there anymore.

"Stop thinking about it, and just go check out Dementor and his crazy ass," Shego ordered herself aloud. She listened to herself for once and focused on the mission at hand.

-8-8-8-8-

Dementor's lair was dark and a foul odor hung in the air like a heavy drape. Shego knew the smell, even though it was only thanks to a childhood tragedy after coming home from a vacation. Once upon a time the Go children had a hamster and they didn't listen when their mother suggested they have a friend watch him when they went away for a week. Needless to say, the Go children returned home to one pungent, rank, and extremely dead hamster. The odor in the lair was a million times worse, but the same basic principle lingered and Shego knew what she would find.

Beyond her beloved childhood pet, Shego had not smelled many dead bodies. She had seen her fair share, though; for many number of reasons. She thought that what she would find in the lair would not be that bad, but she was proven wrong yet again. In the main control room, she discovered the source of the putrid stench.

There was a pile of what appeared to be dirty rags, but Shego knew better. There were flies buzzing all around it and a pool of crusty rust colored liquid all over the floor. The squeak of rats rivaled the noise of the flies and Shego had to take a deep breath as she stepped closer. Standing over the body, Shego examined it from her full height for a moment.

Because of the tattered and torn state of his clothes and all of the activity going on with the insects and rodents having a feeding frenzy, she would not make out much from where she was. Groaning, she leaned down and brushed away some of the pests. She frowned, wondering who Dementor actually killed.

"I knew it was only a matter of time with this crazy Austrian bastard. Maybe it's a GJ agent. Talk about karma," she remarked under her breath.

Her emerald eyes widened in shock as she removed a rat from the corpse's head, which caused a very familiar helmet to be revealed. Reaching out and taking the metal lid off, Shego saw that it was Professor Dementor that was lying dead in his own lair. Although most of his face had been eaten by everything, she could tell that he had not met a pleasant end. She sighed.

"While I didn't like you much Dementor, nobody deserves to be left for scavengers to eat after they obviously left this mortal realm in a horrible and possibly terrifying manner," Shego muttered as she climbed to her feet And pulled out her Kimmunicator.

"Hey, Shego, I haven't found Drakken or Junior yet," Wade informed her.

"Yeah, never mind that. I've got something a lot worse here."

Wade scoffed. "Like what?"

"Like Dementor dead as a fucking door nail. It looks like someone killed him. Unfortunately, he's been ate up by rats and shit, so I can't be sure of what the hell killed the poor bastard."

"Did you say killed?" he inquired in sheer disbelief.

"Yeah, totally dead."

"What do we do?" he asked in a panic.

"The first thing we do is not panic, so stop doing that. Next, we call the guys that handle crap like this. So, get GJ here to clean up what's left of Dementor and I'm going to get my ass out of here before they find a way to blame me for this crap."

"Yeah, that does sound good," Wade said in between pants. He clearly was not good at the whole "panicking" thing.

"Wade, calm down. You need to breathe. Just call GJ and tell them something weird is going on over here. Don't tell them about the body or they'll want to know how you know about it, and then I'm screwed," Shego told him.

"Oh … Okay, Something happened over at one of Dementor's lairs. Maybe I'll just tell them how weird it is for the power to be off. Do you think that'll get them out there?"

"I'm not sure. You know those clowns better than I do. You might need a bigger lie to get an International Crime Fighting agency to the dead body of a world known infamous psychopath. Say he stole something. Or at least say someone claimed he stole something because when they get here they will totally know he didn't steal a damn thing."

"All right, I got you. But, you better get out of there."

Wade didn't have to tell Shego twice. She knew that if she was still there when Global Justice showed up they would blame her for Dementor's demise. She had to make sure there was no evidence that she was ever there. While she did not have much time to do what she needed, there were not many things that she needed to get rid of or cover up. She was long gone by the time Global Justice showed up to discover what was left of Professor Dementor.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, you want me to work for you?" Drakken asked in disbelief, but there was a quiver of joy in his voice. His beady little black eyes were open wide like a kid in a candy store because he could not believe the equipment in the lab that he was standing in.

"I do believe that's what I said," Junior replied in a dull tone from his seat on a very comfortable black leather chair that was behind a massive dark wood desk. The desk was empty, as it would belong to whatever scientist decided to take him up on his offer. Drakken only had one chance to say "yes" and be awarded a lab that would probably have NASA employees explode.

Junior had brought Drakken to his new hidden headquarters. It was beyond a lair, but something more like an underground skyscraper. He dragged the scientist right to the lab, not bothering to show Drakken anything else in his growing organization because he did not think any of that was important to Drakken. He only wanted one thing from Drakken, which was to work for him as the head of his research and development lab. He even had a team of specialists to work under Drakken. All he required was a "yes."

"Why would I want to work for you? I'm going to take over the world on my own and rule it on my own. After all, I'm the man that killed Kim Possible!" the blue-skinned scientist declared with a proud smirk.

"I'm aware of what you accomplished, which is why I'm making you this offer, Doctor. Now before you make me extremely angry, let me explain why you are going to take my offer and help me take over the world, as my father wanted." Junior's voice was cold, clear, and calculated. He obviously knew what he wanted. "The first and most important fact for you is the fact that you have lost your most valuable asset."

The scientist's cerulean face twisted in confusion. "What asset are you talking about?"

"Why Shego, of course." Juniors voice was dull as he replied.

That response did not clear Drakken's expression. "What do you mean? I haven't lost Shego. She might be a little upset with me, but she always comes home. She'll come back to me. She always does," he stated with absolute confidence.

Junior could not help laughing. "You have been away for a long time, Doctor, and you obviously don't keep up with the news. Shego abandoned you a long time ago. In fact, I would say Shego left you right after you killed Kim Possible. Shego is the one that stepped up to replace that little redheaded pest."

Drakken's face twisted tightly and his small hands clenched into tiny fists. "You're lying! Shego would never do any thing like that! Shego always comes back to me! Even when she left me because your father offered her all of that money! She still came back to me! This is some kind of trick! You're trying to trick me so you can keep Shego! Shego!" the mad scientist called desperately while scanning the area for his sidekick.

Junior sighed impatiently. "She's not here, Doctor. She's off righting wrongs somewhere. She won't be coming back." He waved his hand, dismissing her efforts even though she was not around to see.

"I don't believe you! Let me speak to your father right now!" Drakken barked.

A deadly scowl seared its way across Junior's now tight visage. "My father passed some months ago, Doctor. You really need to keep up with the news more. I am now going to fulfill my father's dream of conquering the world and _you_ are going to help me do it." That was an order and it was made in the coldest tone imaginable. It was a surprise that the room did not frost over as the words left his mouth.

"You can't make me do anything," Drakken declared, folding his arms across his chest.

"To accomplish my goal, I require a scientist to develop weapons that will help me and my army. I need you to build me an armory that even the U.S. military will gawk at, and I _can_ make you," Junior promised in a cool tone.

"And how do you think you can do that?" Drakken demanded with a fearless, almost daring glint in his eyes.

Junior did not even turn. He just hit a nearby button on the desk and turned on a large monitor behind him. Drakken's onyx gaze automatically went to the monitor. Junior hit another button and a picture appeared, which caused Drakken to gasp before he turned away and promptly vomited right on the floor.

"Wha-what is that?" Drakken asked, his voice trembling fearfully. He could barely gather the courage to glance at the scene again to try to discern what he was looking at.

"That, my dear Doctor, is all that is left of your former rival. You see, I went to Professor Dementor first and he turned me down. And if you're wondering, yes, I did that personally. I needed to be sure that I have the strength to do this and as you can see, I do. You see, Doctor, I'm done half-assing around. I have lost my father and all he ever wanted was to rule the world with me. Now, I will give him the world, by ruling it on my own. The question is, are you with me, or will I have to make you look like Dementor?" Junior inquired in a chillingly calm tone with an even more blood-curdling stare.

Drakken broke out in a cold sweat and his chest constricted tightly. There was really no way out for him. If Junior had killed Dementor, then he would have no problem slaying Drakken. Drakken was completely, utterly, and hopelessly defenseless because he was alone, he had just been busted out of prison, and he was on Junior's turf. Thoughts of Shego ran through his mind. _I need Shego_. Of course, he would not get Shego if what Junior said were true. It did not help matters that she knew that she had been the intended target for the ray that had taken down Kim Possible. He was completely at Junior's mercy at the moment.

"Uh … Of course I'm with you," Drakken answered through chattering teeth. Right now, he needed to stay alive. But, as soon as the moment presented itself, he would show Junior who would be ruling the world.

"Wise decision, Doctor. Now, why don't you make yourself familiar with the lab and then tell me if you need anything. And, I do mean anything, Doctor. I will spare no expense for my goal, I will give you what ever you want," Junior vowed in a dead serious tone.

Drakken nodded to show that he understood and Junior left him in the lab. It did not escape Drakken's attention that Junior left the image of a very dead Dementor on the monitor. Drakken's stomach knotted up from looking at the mangled corpse that was once his biggest rival. The twisted image told Drakken that he needed a fool-proof plan if he were seriously to take on Junior. He decided to think on it as he looked around the spectacular lab that was all his. A fantastic lab was far from enough to keep Drakken satisfied, though. Nothing short of the world would do.

-8-8-8-8-

It did not take Drakken long to come up with a scheme. Plotting was his strong point, after all. He had learned that Junior was amassing an army for his conquest, so Drakken knew that he would need one of his own if he wanted to stand up against Junior at some point in the future, the _near_-future he hoped. He knew how he would get that army. Best of all, he would use Junior to do it.

"I'll upgrade my Bebes idea with all of that new robotics software at the Middleton Space Center. Not like Kim Possible will be there to stop me. Last I read they hadn't only made big strides in self- preservation, but also artificial intelligence and much tougher framework for space travel. Those would male for some top notch Bebes and I can make as many as I want and just tell that psychopath Junior that I'm making them for him. He'll never know, well, at least until I steal the world right from underneath him."

Drakken laughed at his own cleverness and decided this was one of his best ideas yet. He would build the Bebes and have them obey only him and he was certain that no one would be able to stop his legion of Super Bebes. The world would be his and then he would show Junior for daring to threaten to kill him. He would then show Shego for daring to betray him!

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was not surprised to get a call about Drakken. She had been waiting for it, but it had taken him longer to get going than usual. She did not think anything of it when she heard that he was at Mister Doctor Possible's job. She did not know what he wanted from there, but she damn sure would not allow him to hurt any more Possibles.

By the time Shego showed up, She could see that subtlety was not something that Drakken learned during his latest prison stint and Junior seemed to forget everything she had taken the time to teach him in favor of a smash-and-grab style because he had an army at his disposal. It was reckless and sloppy, which was proven when the hired thugs began shooting at her as soon as they spotted her.

"Are you fucking stupid? Do you know what's in this goddamn lab!" Shego screamed as she ducked for cover. The sound of flames and several explosions did not surprise her, nor did the fact that they kept shooting despite the danger. "I guess hiring thinking thugs would be an oxymoron and probably cost too much."

Shego did not stick around as the flames got hotter and glass shattered above her. She took off down a hallway, looking for Junior, Drakken, or even Doctor Possible, if only to get him to safety. As she ran, she heard more explosions and she could only wonder what happened in those places. She did not turn around as alarms blared. She pulled out her comm unit.

"Wade, this place might be in some trouble and I don't know where the hell I'm going. Give me something to work with," Shego requested.

"No problem. Drakken and Junior are on the second floor. They're on a computer from what I can see on the security cameras in the room. Is Doctor Possible okay?" Wade inquired.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him. This place is a damned maze. Make sure Doctor P knows to get out of here now."

"Why are there fires in the building?"

"Because some idiots started shooting around a whole bunch of combustible material! Make sure the fire department is on the way!"

"I'm on it! Be careful, Shego. The cops might show up or even worse if someone reports gunshots. We don't need you getting arrested."

Shego grunted and tried not to think about that. Pressing on, she made her way to the second floor and fought her way through Junior's hired hands. As their numbers became heavier, she knew that she was on the right track. She entered a room and saw the pair at a computer console. She threw a plasma blast to get them to move.

"You're too late, Shego! We have what we came for," Junior informed her with a gloating laugh that his father would have been proud of.

"It's never too late," Shego growled while flaring her hands.

"Shego, I can't believe you really did switch sides. What happened?" Drakken had the nerve to ask.

"Says the bastard that tried to kill me!" Shego pointed out. "Now, give back whatever the hell you took!"

"I don't think so," Junior said and he dropped a smoke bomb.

Another growl escaped Shego's throat as she took off after the pair, running into the slate-colored plume. She emerged out the other side on a catwalk without Drakken and Junior, but she was not alone. Emerald eyes locked with a stone-cold obsidian stare.

"I knew you had something to do with this," Doctor Director stated in a hard tone.

"Good thing you're not a detective or you'd suck at your job. Did you see where Drakken and Junior went?" Shego inquired.

"Why would I tell you where your partners went?" the older woman countered.

Shego frowned. "You can't possibly think I'm with them!"

"Why not? Aren't you always with Drakken?"

"Not lately! I get that you only have the one eye, but you can't be that blind," Shego remarked.

"Even if you're not with them, I'm still bringing you in. You have a lot to answer for."

"I hope it's not multiple choice."

Doctor Director did not appreciate Shego's attempt at humor and wasted no time expressing her displeasure by attacking Shego. The former thief defended against heavy, but well placed punches. Doctor Director snarled in frustration as she tried to take Shego's head off, but to no avail. As they battled, the flames of the thick fires climbed higher. There was debris that started raining down on them.

"Dammit, Director, this is crazy! The ceiling is going to go at any moment!" Shego pointed out as she caught a kick aimed at her side. She pinned the GJ's leader's leg on her hip and then pushed Director onto her back. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Did you give Dementor a chance to get away with his life before you tore him apart like an animal!" Doctor Director snarled.

"You can't honestly believe I did that! I don't kill people!"

"No, you don't succeed. There's a difference. You just managed to do it this time. You had a grudge against Dementor and now you're helping Drakken again! You are one sick bitch!"

Shego growled and punched Doctor Director in the side for saying such things about her. The brown-haired woman grunted in pain and then Shego heard the creaking and groaning of the floor. She eased up and that was all the leader of GJ needed.

Doctor Director kicked Shego in the stomach, knocking the former thief back. Growling, Shego put her hands up as Doctor Director climbed to her feet. They exchanged blows as fire roared underneath them and debris rained down on them.

Below they could hear people panicking to escape the burning building. Shego hoped that Doctor Possible was one of those people. She tried glancing down, but Doctor Director kept coming, so it was difficult to do anything beyond pay attention to the furious martial artist. And then the one-eyed woman made a mistake. There was a faint sound from below, which was probably a scream, but it that sounded suspiciously like "Betty!" and it caught the leader of GJ's attention.

An onyx eye glanced to the right and that was all Shego required. She put as much force as she thought she needed to stop the agent, kicking Doctor Director in the ribs. When the blow landed, she actually heard the ribs break as Director was lifted off of her feet and knocked her into the guardrail. The guardrail was not prepared for the weight and snapped immediately.

"Shit!" Shego hissed as she reached out for the peacekeeping agent.

Director was over the side before Shego made to her. Shego figured that as a GJ agent Doctor Director would have something to save her from plummeting to her death. And Shego was right. The brown-haired agent fired a line from her wrist and it stuck into the catwalk. Unfortunately, the fire had weakened the floor and the force from her falling body only tore a large section of it out. The Director of Global Justice did not make a sound as the flames below consumed her body.

"Betty!" Shego heard again but the scream was much more anguished and tormented that time. For a second, she thought that she saw a wave a blond hair going toward where Doctor Director went down, but figured that no one was that crazy and it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. Instead of investigating, Shego took that time to get out of the inferno and back to the trail of Junior and Drakken.

-8-8-8-8-

Drakken was incompetent, Junior was sure of that. Drakken had had several months to make his robot army. The cerulean scientist could not fathom the ideas and software that they had stolen. Junior was tired of waiting for him to figure it out. In that time, too many other people had tried to take over the world and Junior could not stand for that. He needed more than Drakken before someone stole his dream from him and he knew exactly who to get.

He always had his ears open for talent and other things that might help him in his conquest. One of his contacts told him about the scientist that he needed to see. Apparently, the woman used to work at the Middleton Space Center, but was horribly disfigured and disabled by the fire that he knew his men started. But, she didn't know that. In fact, his contact told him wonderful news by informing him that the scientist thought Shego was the one that started the fire.

"Perfect," Junior muttered to himself as he came to her home. He knocked on the door of a very nice condo and discovered that the person he wished to speak with did not want to come out. She would only speak though the door.

"What do you want?" a scratchy female voice inquired.

"Are you Doctor Vivian Porter?" he asked politely.

"And if I am?" she countered.

"I have a proposition for you that should interest you a great deal," he Informed her.

"Unless you can get people to stop staring at me, so I can go to work or you can bring people back from the dead, you don't have anything I want or need."

"I think I can give you that first thing and after that we can work on the next thing, but I think I can give you something to settle you until we figure out the second problem."

There was silence for a moment and then the door opened. ''I think we can talk a little more and you can explain yourself."

Junior smiled and stepped in. History was made in that moment as it was from there Junior convinced Doctor Vivian Porter to work for him. He gave her the money to make herself a robotic shell to keep people from staring at her disfigured face, which had been almost totally burned. The shell also helped manage the constant pain that she was in without her having to be on pain medication all of the time, which was good considering she was all too aware that she was one pill short of having a full blown addiction.

In return, Vivian made Junior some of the most high-tech armor that anyone had ever seen, so that he could fight anyone should he chose to engage in hand-to-hand combat. She made sure to put everything that she could into it when she found out that his archenemy was Shego. She took over the robotics project that Drakken had been on and ended up making much better Bebes.

Drakken refused to be outdone by Vivian Porter and began working on his own projects, which still included his own army. He dropped the robots and tried other things that he had been more successful with, which included experimenting with plasma. It was this research that would lead to his son Adam Lipsky, better known as Tri-acid.

The blocks were in place for Junior to start his dream. He could easily fend of Knights and eat any Dragon that blocked his path. Only Shego and her allies really stood in his way. She was the only Knight that the main Dragon could not devour. Thus began the Dragon Eaters War.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: back to the future, the crew is tries to fix up Jannika in the aftermath of the massive, destructive battle.


	27. 3:1: Renovating circumstances

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.1: Renovating circumstances

The clean up in Jannika took weeks to complete. Kim could not believe all of the bodies that they had buried in that time. She had never seen anything like it, not even after horrible natural disasters that took thousands of lives. She figured partially what made this so different were the wounds that the corpses had as well as the expressions of frozen terror on most of the people's faces. Most of them had not seen the shot that killed them, but they died in severe, burning pain because of the shot. No, natural disasters were very different from battlefields and Kim wished that she had never learned that fact.

As they dug graves and made simple pine box coffins, Kim wondered how Junior could live with himself. Anyone that knew Senor Senior Senior would know that this was not the way the gentleman villain would have conducted business. He would never approve of a full on genocide, even if it meant that he could rule the world. Kim almost hoped that there was no afterlife so Senor would never know what happened to his beloved son. If nothing else the man had to be rolling in his grave as his son turned the world into one giant cemetery.

"Are you all right, aunt Kim?" Ryujin asked as he noted the trouble brewing in those deep olive eyes.

Kim blinked and turned to the blond standing next to her. "Hmm? You say something?"

"I asked if you were all right. I know this wasn't a common sight when you were last awake."

The redhead shook her head. "While I haven't seen slaughter on this scale before, there were times when I saw things close to this. War isn't something new, Ryujin, and genocide, unfortunately, isn't new either. It's hard to stomach, but I'll manage. I'm more stunned that Junior is capable of this than anything else. I knew Junior's father and he never would have approved of something like this. While Senior was a villain, he had more of a code than others, and there were lines that he wouldn't cross. Taking over the world was more of a hobby for Senior than the deadly obsession it is for Junior. Senior would've never taken things this far."

Ryujin nodded. "They say the death of his father is what drove Junior mad. To me, he sounds weak if that is the case. I know this sounds bad, but many of us have lost parents and we have endured without needing to lose our minds."

"I agree with you, but there's probably more to the story that we don't know. I know there has to be more to the story because the Junior that I knew never would've been capable of this in the first place. This never would've even crossed his mind." Olive eyes gazed out to the rows of bodies as they were prepared for their final rests. _No, never in a million would the Junior I knew have been capable of this, but somehow__,__ in less than thirty years__,__ the Junior that I knew turned into someone who _is_capable of this__,__ and probably worse. He has to be stopped at all costs._

Aside from burying the dead, Shego's army and plenty of volunteers worked on repairing homes, shops, roads, and fields. Trin and her unit had set up a makeshift hospital and had no shortage of patients. It went beyond those wounded in battle or by debris, but also people sick from chemicals the Bebes put in the air, water, and soil during their invasion. Trin and Shin were responsible for ridding the island of those items and they took the job very seriously. They wanted to handle that as expeditiously as they could and continued with other duties, but first they had to find out about the poisons, toxins, and items used by the Bebes before they could go about fixing anything. Kim was sure the pair no longer slept, but it did not seem like anybody slept.

Kim made sure to keep busy, wanting to help as much as possible. There was no shortage of places for her to assist in. Ryujin kept an eye or her and it was clear that he did that because he was accustomed to her type of behavior. He kept up with her and even helped her on whatever projects she ended up working. He was the one that made sure Kim ate dinner when it was clear the meal was not on her mind. They sat together underneath one of the few trees left standing at the campsite, which was the former battleground.

"Hey, do you two mind if I sit with you?" Shadow Eyes inquired as she took a seat anyway. The duo did not mind and were just pleased that she had been polite enough to ask.

"Did you make sure Shadow Hand got some food?" Ryujin asked.

Shadow Eyes nodded. "You know I take care of him as best he lets me." She then turned her attention to the Legend. "You fought really hard. We couldn't have won this battle without you. I'm sorry that I was amongst your doubters. You definitely are the Legend. You're just great."

''Are you going to apologize causing all of those bad rumors that went around about her because you kept talking about her first battle?" Ryujin demanded, even though he made if sound like a suggestion.

The kunoichi's grey eyes went wide. "Ryu!"

"It would be your honor," he insisted.

Shadow Eyes frowned briefly, but the suddenly smiled. "I am sorry for that. I've been told that I have a big mouth and talk too much, which is entirely true." She chuckled at her own remark.

Kim could not help smiling, too. The way that Shadow Eyes looked when she smiled and the warm glow that the female ninja gave off was enough to forgive her. She was willing to bet that no one could stay upset with Shadow Eyes for long. The ninja then ran a hand through her short ebony hair.

"I'm not usually such an ass about my big mouth, though," Shadow Eyes added, still chuckling.

"I don't think you're an ass. Friends?" Kim offered her hand.

Shadow Eyes smiled again and shook the extended hand. "My friends call me Hana, just so you know."

Olive eyes blinked and then squinted, examining the ninja closely. "Hana Stoppable?"

Shadow Eyes grinned. "You remember me?"

Kim laughed and grinned right back. "How could I forget the world's strongest ninja baby? My memory is a little fuzzy, but you are ferociously hard to forget, especially considering all of the trouble you gave me babysitting you," she declared.

"I wish I could remember you," Hana replied with a sorrowful expression.

Red hair swayed as Kim shook her head. "You were just a baby. I wouldn't expect you to remember me. In fact, it'd probably be weird if you did remember me. Maybe you can tell me what happened to your brother. No one else will tell me anything."

"It's not their fault. My brother's fine. Like everyone else around here, he has a lot to deal with," Shadow Eyes answered, waving the question off to slam her point home.

"Is he on this side or is he with the rebels or is he just on his own?"

''I'd really like to tell you all about it and him, but it really isn't my place. So, I think you should save all of your questions for when you see him again. And I know you'll see him again."

Ryujin looked at Hana, almost as if he were glaring at her. Hana was trying not to smile, or worse burst out laughing. Kim again could not help smiling. Hana was a bright spot in the gloom of the aftermath of the battle. She could only wonder how someone smiled as easily and beautifully as Hana did when surrounded by constant despair.

Hana proved to be more than just a bright smile. Her mouth really never stopped running and she had a million stories to tell about everyone, herself included. She dominated the conversation to the point that it really was not a conversation at all. Kim could not help wondering if talking was Hana's coping mechanism. Talking probably allowed her to work out the horrors of the world and that helped her keep that smile that reached her eyes.

"Well, that was good," Hana declared as she finished her meal. It was amazing that she had been able to get any food in her mouth considering it had not stopped moving.

"You should go make sure that Aunt Shego has some dinner and I'll get Trin And Shin," Ryujin suggested as his eyes drifted down to his empty plate.

"You think Amy remembered or should we check on her and Wade, too?" Hana asked.

"Let's check on them all just to be sure. You know how they can be," Ryujin said.

"Do they often forget to eat?" Kim asked curiously.

Ryujin smiled. "You say that as if you weren't on the verge of doing the same thing. But, yeah, they do at times like this. Work is all consuming for them. They just want things to be better."

Kim nodded. "Well, let's go make sure they eat then. Having them pass out won't do anyone any good."

"That is the truth," Hana agreed.

The trio quickly split to make sure all of the Elect had proper nourishment. Kim found herself making sure that Wade and Tatsu had food. Kim discovered that neither of them had eaten since breakfast. She could not help shaking her head.

"How is it that you guys can take care of a whole country, but taking care of yourselves seems to be too much?" Kim teased them, going so far as to smile at the pair.

"Usually, if I forget Amy will somehow remind. You know it's much easier to neglect yourself than it is the rest of the world," Wade pointed out. "Oh, and thanks for the food."

"No big," Kim replied. Olive eyes glanced at Tatsu. "I'm really surprised Trin didn't bring you something."

Tatsu shook her head. "Not when there's injured people. I think at times like this she starts channeling your mother. She won't stop until everyone's good. Nothing will stop her until then."

Kim nodded. "Then why don't you go and bring her something?"

Tatsu actually laughed. "I didn't even realize there was food until you showed up with it. Besides, interrupting Trin if she's in the middle of fixing someone isn't the smartest thing to do. She won't hesitate to bite even my head off."

"Ryujin just took her something, though," Kim pointed out.

Wade chuckled. "Dimples, bright smile, freckles, and a cheery disposition make him immune to all bad moods of almost every person in the country, including the worst of the worst, namely Trin and Shego."

Kim laughed, too. "I can believe it." She then scanned what the pair seemed to be working on. "What is that?" She nodded toward a vehicle that the duo was working on.

"It was once a tracker and we need it back online so we can get back to farming. Most of Kimber's food comes from these fields and food is already on short supply around here all the time. We really didn't need this." Wade sighed and shook his head.

"You naturally grow food? I thought it was all genetically made," Kim said.

"Much of it is. The seeds were made in a lab, but that was a while ago. We try our best to grow everything like nature intended. Unfortunately, because of so many problems in the past, we lost a lot of plants, so we could only work with what we had. Amy cloned what she could and then ended up creating what she couldn't clone to help keep us all alive. We're doing the best we can," he said in a soft, but defensive tone.

Kim's eyes softened. "I can see that, Wade. You guys are doing good."

"Thank you," he muttered.

She shook her head. "No need to thank me. You guys have done all of the work. Now, make sure you eat all of that to keep your strength up."

"We will," he vowed and Tatsu nodded to show that she would do as ordered.

Kim smiled and left the pair to their very important work. She strolled off to find something else to do and ended up staring at Shego. The western ruler was parked underneath a tree, away from everyone else. She had several documents around her and was focused on what looked like a computer tablet, but Kim doubted it was what she knew a tablet to be. The food that Shadow Eyes had brought the pale woman sat in the dirt, possibly being feasted upon by whatever insects survived the battle.

Shego did not even seem aware of the plate next to her. Her emerald eyes focused on the screen in front of her until she picked up a document and her attention settled on it briefly. Her forehead was furrowed deeply wrinkled and her mouth was drawn tightly down into a scowl. Every now and then, she actually bit down on her thumb, as if to prevent herself from screaming out loud. It worked for the most part, but her face became more and more tense. Her jaw moved slightly as she began to gnash her teeth together.

Kim sighed and scratched her head. She felt like she should go and say something to Shego, like she should comfort Shego. She shook that away thought and went to find something else to do in order to help the relief effort. She consciously put Shego out of her mind.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego frowned deeply as she looked at reports on the destruction of Jannika. She did not know what she was going to do. Much of the land was either destroyed or poisoned by Junior, which meant that things worked out as a victory for him more than anything else. It meant that Kimber had just gotten weaker as far as food, but also in valuable persons. They lost great minds that had been working on bettering the world, they lost warriors, they lost hard workers, they lost children, and all sorts of others. Everyone in Kimber was priceless and they lost a fortune as far as Shego was concerned.

"I need to get Amy to work on more seeds and Trin is going to have to work on fixing as much of the dirt as she and crazy ninja can. They better be able to fix the water ASAP, too. I'll get Shin on that before Trin since I know she won't leave the hospital until everyone is taken care of. I guess I should be happy about that, considering the fact that she really doesn't care about people," Shego muttered to the air and jotted things down on her tablet.

With that worked out, Shego turned her attention to other items that required her orders. As she continued going through everything, she glanced over the plate in favor of several other pieces of paper. She happened to glance up while scanning the documents and caught sight of the one thing that could distract her from her very important work – Kim Possible.

Kim was several yards away, but Shego had no problem spotting her. The fiery red hair was enough, but Shego knew how Kim moved and could have probably located the petite hero from miles away in a large crowd. Kim was lifting boxes and moving them around camp. Shego could not guess why Kim was doing that, but suspected that it would somehow help someone working on any mechanical items because those boxes were full of scrap metal.

"At least she's more comfortable around here. I might not have to worry about her running off to be with her brothers. Of course, she might also never like me or may never talk to me again, but at least she's willing to help out around here and fight. I can't believe she could actually operate that damned robot thing. She really can do anything," Shego smiled.

Her smile did not last long as Kim looked her way and seemed to glare at her from the distance. Shego sighed and shook her head. She turned her attention back to her work and did her best to not think of Kim. Of course, that was impossible.

"Why can't she just accept that I'm not the bitch she swears I am? I mean, Trin and Joss sided with me, so I obviously can't be that bad. Sure, Trin and Joss are out of their fucking minds, but that's beside the point. Shit, Wade follows me and he's damn near the same kid she knew despite all of this fucking craziness around here.

"What more does she want from me? Yes, the twins are pissed with me, but that's just two people and one of them is more pissed than the other with the other just going along with that shit. When the doctors Possible were still alive, they had my back. All three of them! Even Slim was with me, so really, what more does Kim want from me? Not like I wanted this shit for myself. I do all of this bullshit for her, for her legacy, and all of that crap! The least she could do is tell me I'm doing a good job. At least trust me! Just something! I mean, I did all of this just for her. The least she could do is acknowledge my freaking effort," Shego mumbled.

Shego then climbed to her feet and found herself marching over to Kim. She was not sure what she was doing, but she did not stop as she came closer and closer to the smaller female. Emerald eyes locked onto Kim's slender arms as she picked up another box and she actually shuddered when Kim's biceps flexed as she made the lift.

"I got it worse than anyone knows if something like that actually got a rise out me," Shego muttered and then she shook her head, as if to clear her head.

Before Shego could get herself together, Kim took notice of her. A lump grew in the leader's throat as those olive eyes locked onto her. Shego forgot how to breathe and that did not change as those same eyes hardened with something close to disdain and definitely suspicion. Shego tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat blocked it.

"Can I help you with something?" Kim asked, trying to sound polite, but her tone was still clipped.

Shego's mouth moved, but nothing came out. Kim looked at her and her expression actually morphed into something akin to concern. The odd look help set Shego at ease enough for her at least speak.

"Um … No, I'm good. I was just wondering if you needed help with moving any of this stuff," Shego replied as she motioned to the pile of crates.

Kim eyed Shego strangely, but then shook her head. "No, I'm okay. You should go eat your food before it gets colder than it has to be by now. Hana put it there, like, fifteen minutes ago. You need to eat."

"Food?" Shego echoed and turned to look at the space that she had occupied. There was a plate of food right next to her folders. Her eyebrows drew together and wrinkled her forehead. Then she blinked. "Wait, Hana? She told you?"

"You seem surprised. Does she go by the name Shadow Eyes all the time or something?"

"Pretty much. While she likes to run her mouth, she's not open about herself. She'll talk about everything under the sun, except for herself. But, there's really not much for her to say, anyway. Her life for the most part has been training and fighting. Not much of a life. She must like you enough if she told you her real name."

"I guess she likes you enough, if she brought dinner to you, so you should go eat it."

Shego glanced over at the waiting plate again. She was aware that Kim was politely trying to get rid of her. Kim did not want to talk to her, did not want to be around her, and definitely did not trust her. The knowledge caused her heart to constrict for a moment and her lungs burned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just wanted to see if you needed any help with this stuff," Shego said, trying her best to sound normal. It was difficult to do considering how badly her chest hurt.

"I got this. No big," Kim said with a shrug.

Shego nodded and lingered briefly before walking away. A sigh escaped her lips and she returned to her place with her work and her food. She picked up the plate to eat, even though she no longer had an appetite. She decided to eat anyway. She needed the energy, if only to make it through her paper work.

-8-8-8-8-

Joss came over to help Kim with the boxes that she was moving. She jumped right into it, not bothering to ask. Kim gave her cousin a glance, but she did not object to the assistance.

"Kim, why are you so hard on Shego?" Joss asked curiously.

"Are you serious? She's Shego. I'm sure she's got something planned as far as ruling the world goes," Kim answered as if it were obvious.

Joss arched an eyebrow. "Kim, you can't possibly think this is still the same Shego from twenty years ago. That was a lifetime ago. I know you've noticed that people have changed since you've been gone. Yeah, most have changed for the worse, but not Shego. She's changed for the better and she changed for you. Can't you give her some credit? I bet it would make her feel better and she's earned that."

"Joss, you're my family and I love you. I respect your opinion and I probably always will. But, I really don't want to talk about Shego. Nothing's going to change my suspicion of her."

"Unless your memories come back," Joss remarked with a smirk.

Kim's brow wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

Joss dismissed the question with an eye roll. "Nothing. Just don't write Shego off so easily. You don't know what she's been through and you don't know what your rejection is doing to her mentally."

An orange red eyebrow arched. "What do you mean, my rejection? What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Kim. You know a kind word or two from you would make her day. She did all of this for you," Joss pointed out while waving her arms to gesture all around them.

Kim almost snorted, but she kept it in. Despite her feelings in regard to Shego, she respected everybody else's effort and did not want it to seem otherwise. Still, she could not bring herself to believe that Shego was up to anything good. She also did not believe Shego really wanted anything from her beyond using her in someway.

Suddenly, Kim was struck by a flash in her mind and body. A picture of her standing before Shego on a roof and feeling an intense hatred for the plasma-wielder. She tried to hold onto the memory, but it was gone as suddenly as it arrived. It only served reinforce her thoughts on Shego. _If I could feel that way about her once and I've never felt that way about anyone else, something has to be wrong_.

"I think you're all giving Shego more trust than she deserves. It's like you've forgotten what she used to do and what she's capable of. Shego lies and steals and wants to control the world like a lot of other villains. She's just biding her time more than likely. She just can't do the right thing," Kim insisted.

Joss gave her cousin a look, but she did not say anything. It was clear that Joss did not agree with the hero and probably wanted to argue Kim into the ground. Kim would not be swayed, which was just as evident in her eyes as Joss' own thoughts.

"I guess time'll prove one of us right and the other will just have to eat crow." Joss shrugged. "So, cousin, how did you end up with that kick ass weapon that saved that battle for us?"

"Believe it or not, but the Toltec picked me as it's operator. I just got lucky."

"Real lucky. That thing was damn cool. What do you mean it picked you?"

"I walked by it and it started talking to me. It's a robot and has an AI and everything. It wanted me to be its operator." Kim shrugged.

"You think I could get me one? I don't want to go pester Wade for nothing, after all," Joss remarked with a laugh.

Kim chuckled, too. "I don't think Wade is really the one you need to worry about if you really want one. They could make a million of them and if the Paladin doesn't want to work with you, it won't turn on." Tatsu had explained to her that they had not even bothered with the other suits just because of how temperamental the Toltec was.

Joss blinked. "Do you mean that there aren't any more of those suits?"

"You need to talk to Wade and Tatsu about that. There are other Paladins, but I don't know if they work or not."

Joss nodded. "I think I will talk to them. I think I could help out a lot if I had one and I'd love to fight along side of you. It'd be cool on so many levels and like a dream come true. You know I've wanted to work with you since I was younger. Plus, it'd help me get closer to my other dream of ripping off Junior's head." She smiled at the thought.

Kim gave her cousin a look, but did not address the dark desire that obviously dominated Joss' mind. Joss did not seem to notice and continued moving the crates. Kim silently vowed to speak to her cousin more often and try to help her get over the pain and anger that had built up within her. It was one thing to grieve the loss of a parent and other family members, but it was beyond horrible and crippling to let the emotions fester and boil.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior frowned from inside his temporary headquarters. He was not happy with the setup, even though it was no longer a tent. He was basically setup in a regular, small building. His office was almost an exact replica of the one on his flying fortress. But, there was no place like home as far as he was concerned and the temp place was not as defensible as his fortress. It made him uneasy.

"Shego can't attack me here, but she might try something stupid after succeeding in knocking the fortress down for the moment. I should go check on my insurance policy. I can't believe she'd do something so reckless knowing I have those boys but then again she doesn't know what I have them for. She doesn't know what I'm doing to them and maybe that made her a little bit bold. I don't like this boldness."

Junior rose from his seat and stepped outside. He strolled calmly to his downed citadel and tried to ignore the damage. He went directly to the main power room, which was thankfully undamaged by the missile fired by Shego's side. There were four pods against the wall. He went to the first one and looked in thanks to a small window in front of the pod.

"Too bad your little sister isn't as clever as you all think she is or she would've saved you while she was busy trying to kill me. Instead, she let you down and the next time she tries something that stupid, I think I'll send her one of the twins. They were her favorites, I heard. Perhaps I'll have his body ground up and just leave the head, so she knows which one she has. Yes, you are an excellent power source and, yes, there would be a little less energy if one of you were gone, but her pain would be well worth it." Junior smirked cruelly as thoughts of killing one of Shego's brothers danced through his mind.

Long ago, Junior had taken Shego's brothers once Drakken and some of Hench's scientists figured out how to use their glow as an energy source. They were simple enough to trap, especially after he caught Hego, who had been beyond easy enough to get. Hego was so quick to believe the worst about Shego that Junior almost convinced the hulking hero to join him. By the time Hego figured out what was happening, it was too late for him. The other boys had shown up trying to rescue their big brother. Junior wished that Shego was as impulsive as her brothers because he definitely would have conquered the world by now if she was.

"Soon, though. I'll have it all very soon and you boys will have your sister back. I have a power box waiting for her and I will use her to personally power all of my private chambers." Junior smiled and a twisted look formed in his eyes. "Perhaps I'll even take her out of the box to be in my private chambers every now and again. She would probably be much more entertaining than Bonnie. I'd enjoy breaking her just like I did Bonnie. After all, she's almost as bad as Bonnie anyway. Keeping me from me and my father's dreams." Junior felt a shiver go through him. "Hmm … perhaps I will go see the wife."

He had not seen Bonnie since the crash and felt she was due some attention. He licked his lips at the thought. But, suddenly, a lackey came up to him and informed him of a problem with the repairs, so Bonnie would now have to wait.

"Soon, my dear. Oh, so soon," he promised.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Junior notices that he is sans a wife.


	28. 3:2: Solar flare

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.2: Solar flare

Bonnie wiped away sweat from her eyes. The sun was blazing down on her, burning her flesh and she actually noted the irony. Once upon a time, she was a sun worshipper and loved nothing more than to lie in the sun, tanning. Now, the sun was probably going to be her end, which she did not have a problem with. Bonnie was not scared to die. Anything would be better than going back to her husband.

"Please, God, anything but going back to Junior," Bonnie prayed aloud, hoping that would get her prayers answered faster.

Glancing over her shoulder, she checked to see if Junior's guards were on her trail yet. There were only sand and rocks behind her. A smile actually curled onto her face. She had not smiled in years, but she recognized the feeling on her face.

"It actually feels good. Makes me feel warm on the inside. It feels nice. Feels so nice," Bonnie mumbled to the air.

She pushed on with the hot sun on her back. Her skin was dry and blistering. Her lips were cracked and peeling. Her body was begging for water, but there was none. She had not taken any when she escaped because all she could think about was getting away. Hell, it was still all she could think about.

"I won't go back to Junior. I'll die first. I'll kill myself if I have to," she vowed as she pressed on, pushing her weary body as far it would go.

Suicide was not a foreign concept to Bonnie. She had attempted it many times since Junior had lost his mind. Unfortunately, she was always thwarted in some way or another. Junior eventually had her placed on eternal suicide watch and she was never alone long enough to do much. Once she thought she had finally won when she managed to bite her tongue off, only to wake up in a hospital bed with her tongue reattached and a smug Junior looming over her. His eyes promised that she would never get away from him. She had not believed him. She never believed him.

"And look at me now," she declared proudly, pounding on her chest twice with a dry fist. "I'm away. Far, far away!"

A laugh escaped her as she continued moving. Her vision was beginning to get blurry, but she pressed on. Even as her legs began to burn from walking for what felt like years, she moved onward.

Bonnie was not used to walking so much. Junior had kept her locked away in a small room when he was not "teaching her lessons" and punishing her for "killing" his father. A shudder ran though her as images of her abuse flashed though her mind. Shaking her head, she put those thoughts out of her mind.

"Never again. Never again," she pledged in the strongest tone she could muster. Her voice was little more than a whisper.

As Bonnie pushed on, she began to see little spots dancing before her eyes. The pretty colors made her giggle. She reached out to touch them and they turned into butterflies, which made her giggle more. When she tried again, the butterflies transformed into flowers.

"Everything is so pretty out here. I want to stay forever," Bonnie laughed and took one more step before falling face-first into the scorching sands of the Great Desert. The smile never left her face.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior growled under his breath as he listened to report after report on how long it would take to get his citadel back into the air. The fact that Shego had apparently gotten the better of him only served to incense him farther. _How dare that stupid bitch think she can just take out my home and think nothing will come of it! I will fucking crush her like the goddamn bug she is!_ But, before he could come up with a game plan on how to ruin his enemies, he needed to sate his fury and frustration. It meant a trip to see his wife.

"Teaching Bonnie a lesson will definitely help me feel better," Junior figured with a sadistic smile.

Junior was beyond surprised and instantly outraged when he found Bonnie's pretty little cage empty. The fires of Hell blazed in his sapphire eyes as he scanned the obviously empty room. Turning, he stormed away and demanded to know if any person that he had come across had seen his wife. His eyes only flashed with promises of death and destruction when everyone answered in the negative.

"Find her now!" he roared at everyone within earshot. "I will not lose another _thing_ to that stupid, traitorous bitch!"

At first, everyone scrambled because they were not sure who Junior meant for them to find. When they figured out that he meant Bonnie, they became more focused. Junior sent out the few Bebes that he had left considering Vivian was still fixing the Hive and Bebe output had all but stopped. Still, he would not lose Bonnie after Shego already got the better of him.

"She will not make a fool of me twice, even if it's not on purpose. Besides, Bonnie knows better than this. She is mine, my property, and that will never change. I will find her and she will regret even thinking that she can just leave me," he grumbled.

Junior worked himself up to the point that he eventually grabbed a vehicle and rode out into the desert with the robots to find his wayward wife. Thanks to his armor, Junior could not feel the piping heat from the glaring, wrathful sun. He felt like the furious star was on his side, feeling exactly as he did, and slowing down Bonnie's rebellious flight. After sometime, Junior saw a lump in the sand that he was certain was not a rock, especially since he thought he saw hair blowing in the desert wind. But, he blinked and suddenly the lump was gone.

"What the hell? I know I saw something," Junior muttered while shaking his head. He then turned his attention to the Bebes that were with him. "Fan out and search this area! Tear it apart if you have to!"

The Bebes did as he commanded. Junior searched the place with them, feeling in his bones that Bonnie was close by. Unfortunately, he did not see any sign of her. He growled.

"I will find you, Bonnie. You belong to me and you will regret running away," he promised grimly.

-8-8-8-8-

"Are they still up there?" Jim asked as he adjusted Bonnie's unconscious form in his arms.

"Yeah, we need to go deeper or they're going to find us," Tim answered.

The duo wasted no time moving as they monitored the activity above them. They only noticed the Bebes, seeing them on small devices that all Rebels carried with them; they were similar to Kimmunicators. The pair used the natural caves underneath the desert to get away from the robots. The Rebels had not built any tunnels in the area because they knew the Bebes would have found them easily. But, thankfully, the caverns went on for miles on their own.

"Do you think she escaped from Junior's fortress?" Jim wondered aloud as he glanced down at her again.

"Probably. That's the only place close enough for her to not be dead," his twin answered. "She's lucky we were monitoring the area," he said with a scoff.

Jim nodded and then studied the woman in his arms a little more closely. He doubted that he had seen many people look as badly as she did and still have the good fortune of being alive. Of course, she probably did not see if as fortunate. He supposed that would change once she saw that she had escaped the Hell of Neo Roma.

"Does she look familiar to you?" Jim asked his brother and tilted her at an angle that would make it easier for the his twin to see.

Tim squinted and studied her face. "I don't know. It's hard to tell with all bruises and dust and everything."

"Maybe I'm just being weird." Jim shrugged.

"Or maybe we know her. I might just not remember."

Jim nodded and went back to studying the woman that he was carrying. Her face still seemed vaguely familiar, but he could not place her. He gave up as they came to the tunnels made by the Rebels; they were deep enough and seemed like natural phenomenon, so the Bebes did not bother them. They made their way to the Rebel Headquarters and found it to be the usual hotbed of activity. They made their way to one of the small medical rooms.

"Is this the one that was spotted out in the desert?" A medic asked.

"Yeah, but she looks she's been though more than that," Tim pointed out.

With overhead lights, the twins and the medic could see that their rescued woman had undoubtedly escaped a horrible situation. Bruises were the least of their worries, even though the bruises were all over her visible body. There were cuts and other visible injuries. The medic went in for a closer look.

"How long was she out there?" the medic inquired.

"We don't know. Director sent us out there about three hours ago," Tim answered.

"When did you grab her then?"

"Two hours ago," Jim replied.

"Is she going to be all right?" Tim asked.

The medic gave the prone form another look and then she made a face that did not instill confidence in the twins. "I don't think she's going to make it," she said.

"You know our mother and sister, both doctors. They tend to do more than look at a body and proclaim all is lost. Every now and then they even touched the body," Tim remarked with an arched eyebrow.

The medic shot the shorter twin a dirty look. Tim did not bother to appear apologetic. He would like the medic to actually examine the woman before writing her off. Jim nodded in agreement as he looked at the unconscious woman.

"We'll get out of your way and you'll check her out," Jim said and it was clear he was making an order.

The twins left the room and went about their business. They found Doctor Director, who was watching the monitors that they had keeping an eye on the desert. There were still Bebes wondering around out, went they thought was curious.

"Junior still looking for that lady?" Jim asked with a wrinkled forehead.

"I'm guessing she's important to Junior in some way. Do you think she works for someone fighting against Junior?" Director wondered aloud.

"She's not one of us," Tim replied.

"She does look familiar to me, though," Jim informed her.

"Maybe someone from Shego's side," Director considered.

Tim nodded. "That much is possible. I hate to admit that we might have to send her there because our medic seems to think she's as good as dead without even checking her pulse."

"I'm sure she'll get a thorough examine before they pronounce her dead. How bad did she seem?" Director inquired.

"Bad. I don't think we need to hand her over from one monster to the next, though," Jim commented.

"I don't think Trin's a monster," Tim said.

Jim glared at his natural clone and huffed. "You know I meant Shego."

"We both know that Shego isn't close to Junior in the monster department. But, that isn't the point. I don't know if our medic can save her. I don't want her to die, especially after we took our time out save her. We shouldn't waste her life for our pride," Tim argued.

Jim frowned. "We can take care of her. I'll go check on the medic and see what needs to be done with her." He stormed away before anyone could respond.

Director sighed. "Does he have that attitude because we recently saw Shego or because Shego did something we could never do in a million years?"

"Probably both since Shego can do no right in his eyes. I'm sure he's pissed over the fact that he thinks we're just cleaning up after her when she had the gall to contact us and tell us about what she did to Junior. It's like we work for her or something, which isn't something any of us want to be accused of. But, it's good she told us."

Director nodded. "I told you two it's important to keep an open channel for her, even if we don't trust her and we know she'll probably screw us over the first chance we get. We have to look out for any runaway slaves or anything. Every now and then, she proves useful to us. Of course, we still can't trust her."

"But, we might need to send that woman to Trin because she's in really bad shape."

Director nodded again. It was not the first time that they had to send a person to Trin. They did not have many medics and the few that they did have were not very skilled. They went through people like a badly managed business. A lot of people died, but others left once they were sick of the constant danger. They often retired to some place in Kimber, which typically was not much safer considering Junior attacked there on a monthly basis, but it was still safer than fighting for the Rebels.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. It's one thing to lead people to Kimber, but it is another to give them directly to Shego," the former leader of GJ said.

"We do what we need to do to keep people alive," Tim reminded her.

Director could not argue that. They silently decided to keep an eye on the woman and hope for the best. Jim did not seem optimistic about her when they saw him again.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Joss were standing with Wade and discussing the Toltec. The suit was repaired and up to date for the most part. Wade did hint to having plans for the Paladin suit when they got back to Isabella.

"So, what do I have to do to get me one of these Paladins?" Joss asked with a smile.

Wade rolled his eyes. "Like I trust you with one of these. I've seen how you treat equipment," he reminded her in a stern tone.

Joss pouted. "But, I would take good care of it! I could do so much with one of those things."

Again,the tech master rolled his eyes. "You'd do something crazy, like fly the damn thing into New Rome and try to assassinate Junior with it. Huge risk and he could get his hands on our game changer."

Joss frowned. "You make it sound like I'm irresponsible."

"No, just reckless."

"Oh, unlike Kim you mean?" Joss scoffed.

"Hey!" Kim objected. "This isn't about me. I already have my own Paladin."

Wade was about to respond, but he saw his way out of the conversation altogether. Trin was approaching. He hoped that she needed Joss, but he figured that he would just give her the chance to interrupt them.

"Are you ready to move out?" Trin asked all of them it seemed.

"Shego ready for us to get out of here?" Wade countered.

"She has everything set up and we put everything in order to keep going when we're gone," Trin explained.

Kim's brow furrowed. "We're leaving already? But, there's still so much to do."

"There's more to do at home. We have to get back in the lab. Seeds have to be made and sent back here to get crops back as well as regular plant life. Patients need medicines we don't have with us and other items," Trin informed her little sister.

"That makes sense," Kim conceded with a nod.

"We need to build and ship a lot of equipment back here, too. It would be best to get back soon to get that done," Wade agreed.

Before they could get deeper into their conversation, a tech ran over. She informed Trin there was a communication coming though for her. It was the Possible twins, which got Kim's and Joss' attentions. Trin waved the two younger women to come with her.

"Don't think this is over. I will get one of those giant robots," Joss vowed, speaking to Wade. The chief engineer rolled his eyes again as the Possible women walked off.

He went about his business and did not see the Possible ladies for a while after that. When he did see them, he could not help asking after the twins. He really wished they would forgive Shego and join her side. He was certain that their combined intellects could bring Junior down.

"The twins need Trin to do some patching up on a woman they found in the desert. They think she escaped from Junior," Joss reported.

"Why do they think that?" Wade inquired.

"They said that she wasn't too far from where his fortress fell. Why don't we go after Junior since we know his fortress was knocked out?" Kim asked.

"Exactly! Glad to know I'm not the only one thinking it! We could send Kim over in her big robot and take Junior out while he's grounded! We could have him!" Joss declared, throwing her fist in the air.

"You both heard the twins. Junior has tons of Bebes and other weapons around him for protection. We continue to lack the manpower to go on the offensive, even with Kim and her robot. She could end up shot down before she even sees Junior," Trin pointed out.

"You do have a point," Kim agreed. "Guess I got a little ahead of myself since we had a few things go well for us."

"Not enough things for us to even consider attacking Neo Roma. We always have to err on the side of caution when it comes to Junior. So, did you tell them to send you the patient?" Wade asked.

Trin only nodded. He knew that whoever the person was she had to be dying for the Rebels to ask Trin for her help. He wondered if she would even survive the trip though Kimber.

-8-8-8-8-

"Mom, I'm going to have leave to soon," Mirage told Vivian in a small voice. If she had her way, Mirage would probably stay cuddled up to her mother for the rest of her life and not feel like a moment was wasted. Unfortunately, her life was not her own and she had orders to follow.

Vivian sighed. "I know."

"Do you at least feel better?" Mirage asked with concern. She could not in good conscience leave her mother if the scientist was still as depressed as she was on the day that Mirage arrived.

"I always feel better when you're around, baby. I wish I could keep you with me all of the time. Of course, by now you're at the age where you wouldn't want that," Vivian commented with a light laugh and she caressed her daughter's head.

"That's not true, Mom. If I could, I'd stay with you all of the time, but we both know the Emperor would never allow that to happen." She could not hide the sorrow in her tone, despite the fact that she had programming to disguise her voice.

"I never should've gotten you involved in this. That was poor parenting on my part," Vivian admitted with another sigh. She sniffled, as if she were going to cry, but her body no longer produced tears.

Mirage shook her head. "No, Mom, I want to help. I want to help you and I can help you." She could not say that she was happy with the path her mother decided to take, but she wanted to help any way that she could. She wanted her mother to just be happy.

"Still, I wish I hadn't gotten you involved. Too late for regrets, though. I guess once you go back I can at least get to work on fixing the Hive." Vivian managed a light laugh.

Mirage would have blushed if she could and she scratched her cheek in a sheepish manner. "Sorry I kept you from that, but you need a break every now and then."

Vivian would have smiled if she could have. The mother and daughter embraced each other, both holding onto the other like a life line. Mirage reluctantly left, knowing that her mother would throw herself back into work, throw herself back into destroying Shego. She sighed and just hoped that her mother remained relatively all right.

-8-8-8-8-

"How could we have lost her? She was on foot and barely able to carry herself! Find her!" Junior ordered every person and thing standing within hearing range.

Junior's blood boiled and soon heads would roll if they could not locate Bonnie ten minutes ago! _How dare my little toy think she can leave! I'll punish her like never before! She'll beg me to go back to her regular punishments when I'm done with her!_ He growled.

-8-8-8-8-

Trin was ready for the Rebels when they arrived in Isabella and entered the Onyx Manor. Kim was with her, hoping that the twins themselves would make the delivery even after Trin told her that was extremely unlikely. Kim was disappointed to find that Trin was correct. Two people that she had never seen before were the ones to show up, carrying a petite, unmoving figure. The patient was covered for the most part, except for her head. Kim gasped when she saw the head.

"Are you all right?" Trin asked.

"Fine. Do you mind if I stick around with you?" Kim countered.

Trin turned her attention to the Rebels. "We have it from here, unless you have business here."

The Rebels shook their heads and handed their patient over to waiting Guards. Trin did not say anything farther. She turned and walked to her examining room with the Guards and Kim silently behind her. Once there, the Guards placed the unconscious woman on the table and left.

"Trin, you know who this is, right?" Kim asked, just to make sue she was not going out of her mind.

"If by who you mean do I know this is Bonnie Senior, also know as Bonnie Rockwaller, yes, I am aware," Trin answered dryly, keeping her eyes locked on Bonnie, who was barely breathing. "She's certainly seen better days."

Kim nodded. "Wait, did you say her name is Senior? She married Junior?"

"I imagine so."

"I didn't read about that."

"It wasn't really news. Junior was not as infamous yet when he married Bonnie. I don't recall it being real knowledge until someone tried to kidnap Bonnie to get to Junior. It didn't work out well."

Kim could only imagine what Junior did to someone that tried to take his wife considering what she knew he was capable of doing to people who had not crossed him in any way. "What do you think happened to her?"

"I won't know until I do a proper and full examination of her. You're helping."

Kim nodded, even though she knew that was not a request. She wanted to make sure that Bonnie was going to be all right. She remembered clearly that Bonnie put her through Hell in high school, but that did not mean that she wished harm on her former rival.

-8-8-8-8-

"Trin, What do you think did all of that to her?" Kim asked with her in her eyes. They were done with examining Bonnie and fixing her up. Now, the petite redhead had a chance to mentally go through every injury that they catalogued on Bonnie's body. It was nothing short of miracle that Bonnie was still alive.

Trin put down a chart and rubbed her eyes. "I would assume that Bonnie might have been held captive by a group that hated Junior and knew that she was his wife, but I think the more likely situation is that Bonnie has suffered decades of domestic abuse, including spousal rape," she replied in a chilling monotone that made her little sister feel worse.

Kim had to swallow around a lump in her throat before she could find her voice to speak again. "How could he?" the question asked in a whisper.

"Junior is a monster. This type of behavior is not surprising for a man that needs to control everything. She was probably the first thing he took control of," the blond reasoned.

Kim did not seem to be digest that information. Her eyes could not leave Bonnie's battered form. She could not fathom the terror and torture that Bonnie must have lived through.

"What was that injection you gave her?" Kim asked for lack of a better thing to say. She had been curious about it before, but she managed to hold it all let her questions to let Trin do her job.

"Just something to make her heal faster," Trin replied.

"I figured, but what is it?"

"I don't think you really want to know."

Kim's brow wrinkled. "Now I really want to know. You injected me with that stuff, too, right?"

Trin sighed. "Too curious for your own good, you know? It's called green serum. And before you ask, it is a medicine that I, Shin, Amy, and Mom helped develop from Shego's blood."

"Shego's blood?"

"You of all people should know of Shego's ridiculous healing factor that makes her harder to kill than than a cockroach."

Kim was going to say something, but she was silenced by images invading her mind. She saw herself kicking Shego into an electric tower. She grimaced, but then she remembered the hatred inside of her at the time.

"Trin, did I ever ... try to kill Shego?" Kim asked quietly, scared to hear the truth.

A golden eyebrow arched. "As I understand it, you let your anger get the better of you, but no, you didn't try to kill her. You were definitely more aware of her abilities then than you are now. You were pissed with her for ruining your date or some such matter." The blonde waved the whole thing off.

Kim nodded. "Drakken toyed with my emotions, but I blamed Shego. I thought she should've known better than that. She was supposed to be the mature one."

Trin shrugged. "The past is the past. Learn from it and move on. Do you want to help?"

Kim shook her head. "I think I'll stay with Bonnie. She might wake up and I don't want her to be alone."

"I figured you would."

Trin left without another word. Kim sighed and focused on Bonnie. She shook her head and tried to stop the thoughts going through her mind, wondering what Junior had done to her once-rival.

"How could anybody do this to someone they're supposed to love? Don't worry, Bonnie, you're finally safe. I promise. I know these people will treat you way better than Junior. So, just focus on getting better and we'll handle everything else," Kim promised, gently rubbing the top of Bonnie's hand.

Bonnie twitched as if she heard the vow. The movement caused Kim to smile because it showed that Bonnie was still alive. Bonnie was a fighter. She would be fine. Kim was sure of it.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Bonnie wakes up and has to deal with Shego wanting to see her.


	29. 3:3: A step up

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.3: A step up

Bonnie groaned as she regained consciousness. Kim moved closer as the noise alerted her to the fact that Bonnie was waking up. She grabbed a cup of water and a couple of vials that held medications Trin told her to give the battered woman with the water. Kim had taken it upon herself to be there for Bonnie, especially when she figured most would not be sympathetic to Bonnie's plight when they found out that she was Junior's wife, even if she was his clearly abused wife.

Turquoise eyes fluttered open. At first there was a glassy quality to those blue-green eyes, but it cleared slightly as a hacking cough shook Bonnie's thin frame. Her body bent and spasmed as the coughing continued. Kim carefully put the cup of water to Bonnie's dry, cracked lips.

"Sip it slowly," Kim cautioned her.

Bonnie did as she was told. As she took in small droplets of water, her eyes wandered the room. When they came to rest on Kim, the glazed look disappeared. Bonnie blinked several times before pulling away from the cup to try to speak. At first all she could make were gagging noise before she found her voice.

"Kim?" Bonnie managed.

Kim smiled a little, hoping to keep the injured woman calm. "Hi."

"Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?"

Bonnie blinked a few more times and groaned in discomfort. "So, I finally died," she mumbled as if in awe. "I guess I made it to Heaven if you're around. I thought all that pain Junior gave me would be the ticket in," she remarked with an oddly happy smile.

"Bonnie, you're not dead. You almost died, but Trin was able to save you."

Bonnie's eyes glazed over again as her forehead wrinkled. "How can I not be dead if I'm talking to you and you've been dead for twenty years?"

"I'll explain it all, but first you have to take your medicine before all of the pain kicks in."

Bonnie was very complacent though the whole process, so unlike the Bonnie that Kim recalled. Her strong will, independence, confidence, arrogance, and self-worth was gone. She did not even ask questions about her injuries or her bandages or the medicine that she was being given. The Bonnie before Kim was broken completely and totally by the hands of a man that was supposed to love, cherish, and protect her. _Junior really is a monster._

"All done," Kim announced as she finished checking and changing Bonnie's dressing.

"Thank you," Bonnie said, causing Kim to pause.

"I never would have thought you would thank me for anything," the redhead commented.

Bonnie seemed at a loss for a response. "Are you sure I'm not dead? You don't have to try to spare my feelings. I've been waiting for it for a long time. One time, I think he did kill me, but his doctors were able to revive me. One time, I thought I killed myself, but then I woke up with his doctors all around me and machines and stuff."

Kim's heart broke as she listened to Bonnie. She could not imagine what Bonnie had gone through for death to be a welcome for her. Without a thought, she put her arms around the bruised woman and embraced her. Bonnie sniffled and began to cry in a low tone, unable to really bawl because of how broken she was. Kim just held her tighter and mumbled soft apologizes to Bonnie.

"Why are you saying sorry?" Bonnie asked through her tears.

"I should've been there to help you. None of this should've happened to you or anyone else for that matter. I should've been there," Kim growled.

Through her sniffles, Bonnie managed a coherent response. "But, you were dead. How are you even here? Oh, god, did that crazy Drakken clone you? I can't believe first he kills you and now this!"

Kim chuckled. "I'm not a clone and I'm not dead. Drakken didn't kill me twenty years ago. He just said he did."

"I don't understand. Where have you been if you've been alive all this time? I know you wouldn't have been hiding!'' Bonnie was actually defending Kim to herself.

"No, I haven't been hiding. Drakken did succeed in getting rid of me twenty years ago. He trapped me in a crystal and then I was swallowed by lava. I was trapped underground until someone found me and freed me," Kim explained. She did not go into detail because she doubted that Bonnie required all of that.

Bonnie nodded, even though it was clear that she did not understand. She had undoubtedly been trained to not ask questions and just accept everything told to her. Her eyes drifted downward as tears continued to pour down her face.

"I went to your funeral. Senior took me with him. I was really snotty and disrespectful. I don't think I fully understood that you weren't coming back. It was like you were on vacation or something," Bonnie whispered. "I'm sorry for that."

"It's the past, Bonnie. Don't even think about it. Besides, you were right. I came back," the hero declared with a smile.

Bonnie nodded slowly and her eyes drooped a little. She was clearly exhausted, but trying to fight off sleep. She yawned a little.

"Are you going to stop Junior?" Bonnie asked in a lower voice than before.

"I'm going to try. I have a lot of help in that area. He won't hurt you anymore. You can sleep easy, Bonnie," Kim answered.

Bonnie blinked and her eyes closed a little more. "Thought I was sleeping. I'm not hurt and talking to a dead woman."

Kim only smiled and Bonnie was asleep within seconds. Kim decided to see if she could get Bonnie moved from the plain, hospital-like room. She also needed to let Trin know that Bonnie had pulled through and was somewhat coherent.

Moving Bonnie was no problem as the Manor had plenty of space. Kim was only slightly surprised by the clandestine manner the move was done. Ryujin was volunteered to move Bonnie while she was asleep and completely covered up. Trin thought it was safest for her patient in case someone by some crazy chance recognized Bonnie as Junior's wife. That was a position too close to Junior to trust people would be able to keep their emotions in check, even though it was clear that Bonnie was not a threat. Kim continued to stay with her.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, what do you think?" Shego asked Trin. They were in the Dark Room. Shadow Hand was lurking in the background as usual. Wade left as soon as he heard the topic of discussion, proclaiming he had better things to do, thus making his stance pretty clear.

Trin shrugged. "At the moment, I view her as I would any other patient. She shows clear signs of abuse, physically, mentally, hell, even emotionally. She nearly jumps out of her skin just for the sound of the door opening. She's not faking. She's a very poor candidate to be a spy."

Shego nodded and then emerald eyes glanced back. "You knew her, right?"

Shadow Hand scoffed and she could tell that he rolled his eyes. "A lifetime ago."

"Have you seen her?" the ruler asked curiously while running a finger down one of the last burn marks on her face. She made a mental note to get Tri-Acid back the next to time she saw him because even though the burns were gone, her face still tingled with pain every now and then.

"I've seen broken people. There's a look in their eyes that they can't fake. Any spark of life completely gone. I doubt she's a spy," Shadow Hand replied.

"All right, I still want to talk to her, though. I won't stress your patient out or anything. I just want to find out what happened to her and how we can help. I mean, if what you say is true, Doctor Blondie, then she is going to need a lot of help getting back on her feet."

"If she ever does. Bonnie is more timid than a rabbit and may remain that way, considering she's been that way for over twenty years and it was probably what helped her survive those years," Trin said.

Shego nodded, but she did not change her mind. She waited for Trin to give her permission to see the patient because the blond Possible was very serious about her patients. Bonnie was confined to her bed, not that she could walk much. Trin had been surprised when Bonnie explained that she had walked though the Great Desert for over one hour. Trin could only chalk that up to a great will and desire to get out of a horrible situation.

Bonnie's legs had been bruised beyond belief and her knee was possibly damaged beyond repair. When she examined and treated Bonnie, Trin saw evidence Bonnie had been patched up numerous through her abused years, but there was only so much the body could take. There were signs that Bonnie's body had begun breaking down.

There were pins in Bonnie's ankles and other joints. Her kneecaps had been replaced, most of her teeth were not hers, her hair was implanted, there was a metal plate in her head, and all of her bones had been broken more times than Trin would have thought possible. She could understand why Bonnie had not been upset when she thought she was dead. Trin hoped that Shego did not cause her patient too much stress because Bonnie had so much healing to do.

Trin went with Shego to Bonnie's apartment. Trin let herself in with the key that only she and her younger sister had. Shego smirked.

"Why, doc, does the wife know you have keys to other ladies apartments?" Shego taunted.

"Oh, grow up," Trin retorted.

"Trin? I thought you wouldn't be here for a couple of days," Kim called as she stepped out of the small kitchen into the tiny foyer. A frown immediately settled on her face when she saw who was with the blond. "What is she doing here?" Her tone seemed to glare, even though her eyes had that covered.

"Calm down, Princess. I come in peace. I just want to see if Bonnie has any information that she cares to share and if I can do anything to help her out," Shego said, holding her hands up in surrender.

"Trin, you can't let her squeeze Bonnie for information right now. Bonnie isn't in any shape to answer a billion questions," Kim objected.

"It isn't like that, Princess," Shego protested.

"Kim, it'll be fine. Leave her to it," Trin said and she waved the whole matter off.

Shego walked off before Kim could say something else. She went to the bedroom and found Bonnie laid up in the bed. She watched as Bonnie turned to her and the injured female flinched as Shego stepped closer.

"You don't have to be scared. I'm not here to hurt you," Shego tried to assure Bonnie, but she could still see the fear in those blue-green eyes before they looked away. The raven-haired woman decided not to go any closer. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Bonnie answered in a very low tone.

"Bonnie, I know you've been through a lot. I'm not here to make matters worse. In fact, I want to know if there's anything I can do for you."

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm fine."

Shego sighed. _I'm damned tired of being treated like the fucking bad guy around here._ Taking a deep breath, Shego kept herself calm.

"Bonnie, I know you've been through a lot and I just want to help. I'm not going to put you jail or send you back to Junior or anything like that. If you want to stay here after you get healthy, you're welcome to do so. If you want to go somewhere else, you can."

"Do you mean that?" Bonnie whispered while her eyes remained focused on her blanket.

"I do. Look at me, Bonnie."

Bonnie gulped before doing as she was told. She looked ready to cry when her eyes fell onto Shego, but that did not last long. The emerald eyes that gazed down at the prone woman were warm and kind. Tears slid down Bonnie's cheeks.

"Don't cry. Kimmie's going to think I hurt you," Shego remarked, not sounding as serious as she was.

"I thought you'd treat me like he did since I'm his wife. I know people sometimes blame me for things that he's done. Sometimes, when I was too hurt to move, his slaves would sneak in my room and beat me worse or rape me again after he's finished. They'd torture me to get back at him," Bonnie sobbed.

Shego took a deep breath to quell the rising fury inside of her. "That won't happen here," she promised in a fierce tone. As soon as she was done, she would put out the word that if anyone hurt Bonnie, they would answer to her.

Before she could say anything else, Kim charged into the room. Olive eyes seemed to try to stare a hole in Shego's chest. Shego barely had time to brace herself for the tirade that Kim went on.

"Shego, I told you not to bother her! She's been through enough and you're just making everything worse! God, could you be any more inconsiderate and insensitive? How awful could you possibly be? Do you need dirt on Junior that badly?" Kim screamed.

Shego actually winced and then frowned. Trin was about to step in, but Bonnie spoke up first.

"Kim, it wasn't like that. Please, don't scream," Bonnie entreated her ally … maybe her protector.

"She made you cry," Kim pointed out.

"By promising that she wouldn't treat me like _him_. And she won't let any one else treat me like _he_ did. She's being nice," Bonnie informed the redhead.

"Being nice?" Kim echoed as if such a thing was not possible.

"Yeah, being nice. I'm okay." Bonnie sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Kim, how about we leave them to talk?" Trin said as she put her hand on her sister's shoulder. Kim seemed to be in a daze and allowed the blond to lead her out of the room.

Bonnie turned her attention back to Shego. "She used to hate me, you know?" she sounded almost amused.

"She still hates me," Shego remarked, forcing out a laugh.

The injured woman nodded. "She's been telling me about what she remembers. Sort of like reminiscing about things because she's missing memories. So, we're been reliving high school, which I am enjoying. Those were the years before everything went bad."

Shego smiled. "Then keep those memories. Don't think about all of the other shit."

"I'm going to try. So, Shego … is it all right for me to call you that?" Bonnie asked and her eyes drifted again.

"It is my name. I don't have a title or anything really. You can call me by me name and you can look me in the eye."

Bonnie nodded and forced herself to look at the western ruler. "You want me to tell you stuff about _him_?"

"Only if you want to," Shego replied, wondering if Junior was going to be "he who shall not be named" to Bonnie.

"I wish I could help, but I don't know much. He sometimes brags to me when things are going his way or he'll scream at me when things weren't going well, but you have to understand he was doing other things to me while talking," Bonnie said.

"I get that. If you can think of anything, it could help."

Bonnie nodded and her forehead wrinkled in thought. "Um … I think Drakken was up to something new for him. I remember him ranting about it because he thought Dr. Porter was betraying him to you. He said it would show you and he could get rid of Dr. Porter."

Shego nodded. "Of course. Even when I have a victory that ass is prepared to snatch it from me before we can even enjoy it. Doesn't he stop to take a breath?"

"I think you got him pretty good. If he's so pissed that he thinks Dr. Porter's betraying him and Drakken is his salvation, you did something right. Plus, it took him a while to notice I was gone. I know he's steaming at this point. You got some good licks in."

"Hopefully, the frustration will make him slip up. We might be able to do something to him," Shego mused aloud. She then gazed thoughtfully at Bonnie. "Do you think other people escaped the Citadel?"

Bonnie shrugged as best she could. "I wasn't paying attention to anyone else at the time I left. It's possible," she replied and she noted the flash of disappointment in those emerald eyes. "He has someone of yours?"

Shego studied Bonnie briefly and took a deep breath. "My brothers."

"He does shit like that. Killed my family a long time ago. You think your brothers are still alive?" the younger woman asked.

"He hasn't given me any reason to believe otherwise."

"Then, they're probably still alive, but that's usually a lot worse than being dead," Bonnie sighed.

The ruler shook her head. "Being alive means things can get better. You'll see. For now, I'll leave you alone before Kim charges back in here to tell me visiting hours are over," she joked.

"Thank you for not being like him," Bonnie said.

"You don't have to thank me for not being evil and making your life worse. I'm never going to be that much of an ass."

Shego then took her leave and returned to the living room to see the Possible sisters talking on the sofa. She decided not to bother them and just left. She needed to get back to work and distract herself from everything going on in her very busy, cluttered head.

After meeting and seeing Bonnie, she was inclined to believe Bonnie was not a spy either, but She was left with so many thoughts. _If she could get out, broken, beaten to Hell and back, and so under weight that the sight of her would make an anorexic wince, who's to say my brothers didn't get out, too? But, if they did, where the hell are they? Hego's not one to hide and he's damn hard to miss._

Beyond her brothers, Shego was bothered by Kim's behavior. Kim had taken it upon herself to protect and defend Bonnie. With Kim's abridged memory, Bonnie should have still been her arch nemesis and the mean girl. But, Kim had taken Bonnie on as a friend immediately.

"Where as I, who was an actual freaking friend, get looked at as a step above Junior. Barely a fucking a step at that. Junior, the man who beat and raped his wife for years and killed her family. What the fuck do I have to do?" Shego snarled and she suddenly turned, punching the closest wall. Of course, the plaster cracked.

"Sexual frustrations?" Wade remarked as he walked by.

Emerald eyes glared at the chief engineer. "Shut the hell up. What the hell are you doing over here?"

"Looking for you. We got a situation with the mechanics looking to fix all of the machines that Jannika needs."

Shego sighed. "It's always something. What's wrong with the mechanics?"

"We need more of them," he remarked.

Shego actually laughed. "Isn't that our life story?" She walked off with him and her mind back on work.

-8-8-8-8-

"You know your behavior with Shego's very hurtful toward her," Trin commented dryly.

"Since when do you care about how people treat each other?" Kim countered with an arched eyebrow.

"I don't, but I know you do and eventually you're going to feel bad for being a bitch to Shego."

Kim's mouth dropped open. "I am not being a bitch. I just don't trust her."

Trin gave a slight shrug. "If you say so. I still say you'll regret you behavior, but it's on you. I'm going to check on Bonnie and then be on my way. If you need me, you know how to get in touch with me."

Kim nodded and Trin rose from the couch. She disappeared into Bonnie's bedroom. Kim sighed, feeling like everything was coming at her too quickly. She shook that off because Bonnie needed her and eventually someone else might need her.

After almost an hour, Trin was done with Bonnie and giving Kim more basic care instructions. Kim knew most of what her sister told her, but she let Trin go on just in case.

"Got it," Kim said at the end of the speech.

Trin nodded and took her leave on that note. Kim went to get Bonnie some food and her medication. She sat with Bonnie as she ate.

"I don't think I've had this much good food in a long time," Bonnie commented as she dug in.

"What did you usually eat?"

"Whatever he gave me. He wasn't always so bad with food, but, in the past few years I guess anyway, he figured that what I ate was another way to get to me. Sometimes I knew what it was, but most of the time I didn't know and didn't ask. I was just happy for food. Sometimes he would starve me and then put me on an IV just to do it."

"You don't have to think about that anymore. What did Trin say?" Kim asked in a hopeful tone. Her sister seemed to think that Bonnie would be full functioning eventually, but it would be a long recovery.

"She thinks everything is healing as well as can be expected. I'm surprised she's willing to do so much for me. Both of you actually. You're being so nice to me and I was never nice to you."

Kim scoffed. "We're not going treat you horribly because you were an obnoxious teenager. Besides, it's nice to talk with someone from the past. I feel a little more grounded with you around."

Bonnie smiled. "I never would've thought we would end up comforting each other. But, we're kind of in the same boat. I mean, I've missed almost as much as you since he kept me locked in a room."

"I'm sorry about that Bonnie."

"Stop apologizing. You didn't do it to me. I sort of did it to myself."

Kim's eyes flashed and she pointed at Bonnie. "Don't say that! This his fault!"

Bonnie withered a bit, even though the redhead was right. "I know it is, but I put myself in the situation. When he started going crazy, I probably could've left, but I stuck around."

The hero shook her head. "You couldn't have known what was coming. He probably didn't know what was coming."

"I guess you make a point, but I still feel like I should've seen this coming. I mean, the way he spoke to me right after his father died should've been a clue. I wanted to be with him, though, and even wanted to help him through his father's death. But, I can't predict the future, because if I could this wouldn't seem so weird." Bonnie chuckled slightly. "So, what's your deal with Shego?"

Kim arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's your deal with Shego? You acted like she was going to kill me when she came in here. I've only heard _him_ cursing her, so I always figured she can't be that bad, but with the way you acted, I thought I might be wrong, but she was nice to me," Bonnie explained.

"I don't trust her. Did she interrogate you?"

"No. She just wanted to know if other people got out. She wanted to know if I wanted to stay here, too. Like I said, she was really nice. Why don't you trust her?"

"She used to be a villain. She worked for Drakken."

Bonnie's brow wrinkled. "Kim, that was a long time ago. Things have changed. You know that."

"I know, but I can't get over the feeling. Beside, my brothers don't trust her either."

"But, your sister does. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Kim waved that away. "Trin's weird. I don't know if I would say she trusts Shego. She isn't as picky as the twins when it comes to helping people. She doesn't really care about people."

"I remember. She hasn't changed?"

"Not really. I actually think she might care more now than she did before, but she won't say that."

"People need it more in these times," Bonnie commented. "I think you should cut Shego a break. She's not the bad guy from what I can tell."

Kim scoffed. "You only spoke to her once."

"Yes, but she had a chance to make things really bad for me and didn't. She's good. I trust her," Bonnie declared.

Kim chuckled. "You're an easy sell. How are you feeling? You want your pain meds?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Trin gave me some when she was here. I feel really good, even though I'm all broken up. It just feels so good to be away from him," she practically purred. "Hey, do you think you could show me some defense moves when I get better? That was one of things I spent years regretting. I always thought that 'I was close to the great Kim Possible and never learned a thing from her!' I felt so stupid." She sighed.

"Of course, I'll show you. This way, the next time you see _him_ you can kick his ass. He'll never see it coming," Kim declared with her usual enthusiasm.

Bonnie laughed. "You know, Kim, I'm so happy you decided to interact with me. Your optimism and energy just makes me feel good, like everything will be okay."

"It will!" Kim insisted with a determined glint in her eyes.

"You make me feel like it will, like those are more than just words. I haven't felt like this in a really long time. Thank you for this. Can you tell everyone that for me?"

Kim smiled. "You can tell them when you can get out of bed. Trin'll take care of you and I'm here for you."

Bonnie smiled and within seconds she was asleep. Kim smiled more as she took the empty tray from Bonnie's lap. She thought about her conversation with Bonnie and Bonnie in general. She could not believe all that Bonnie had endured and survived.

"She's stronger than she knows. If she can survive Junior, then we can push forward and beat him. I don't know how, but there has to be a way and we will find it," she pledged.

Until then, she would continue to take care of and connect with Bonnie. Being able to be around someone that was sort of disadvantaged like she was, not totally aware of how the world worked, helped her gather herself. She somehow felt more focused.

"Even though, I don't trust Shego right now we have a common enemy and we won't let him keep hurting people." Kim nodded to herself and made a tight fist. She would do all that she could to stop Junior.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim shows off some skills while sparring with Joss and someone else with an audience around.


	30. 3:4: That which doesn't kill me

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.4: That which doesn't kill me

Kim decided to get some training in while she had the time. She went into one of the gardens and found a space that she felt would be big enough for her to practice with her sparring program. She contacted the Toltec as soon as she found enough space.

"Kim, I was wondering when we world speak again. I am back in the Basement. Will you come for me?" the Toltec requested.

Kim laughed a little, even though she felt bad for the Paladin. "Not today. It's too late for us to practice. We'll get some practice in in a few days. I don't have much spare time because I'm taking care of a sick friend. You understand?"

"I understand that our practices require hours that you no longer seem to have. The Basement is not some place that I am useful," the suit pointed out.

"I know, Toltec. We'll go into the Hanger as soon as I can. Right now, I just want to use the sparring simulation while I have the time to do that."

"All right. I will run the program and keep track of the data."

"All right. Start the program," she said.

"Affirmative."

Kim had to laugh for a moment, but she did not have much time to find things amusing as the sparring session began. Kim got into her fighting stance as the hologram appeared. She wasted no time going at the simulation.

The redhead worked up a sweat in no time. She was focused on beating the hologram until she felt like she was being watched. A low noise caught her attention and that was all the distraction the hologram needed. The blow to the abdomen sent Kim buckling over. She coughed as the pain registered through her battle suit.

"Kim!" Joss called as she jumped out of the bushes. "Are you all right?" she asked as she fell to Kim's side.

"Kim, should I end the program?" the Toltec inquired.

"Yeah," Kim groaned. The hologram vanished and Kim turned her attention to her cousin. "Joss, I'm okay. What are you doing out here?" she asked as she pulled herself up to her proper height. Joss did the same.

"I was on my to get some grub and was passing through here as a shortcut when I saw you. I didn't wanna disturb you and then got stuck watching you. I ducked out of sight when I finally realized what I was doing. What was that you were fighting?" Joss asked curiously.

"Oh, just a program that I made with the help of the Toltec," Kim answered, downplaying it with a wave of her hand.

"The Toltec? Oh, that's your Paladin, right? I really need to get one if they make programs with you for you to train with!" Joss declared with a grin. "I'd kick serious ass in a mega-robot!"

Kim laughed. "You have to talk to Wade about that. Have you talked to him?"

Joss shook her head. "Nah, I haven't had chance to talk to him. All the tech types are super-busy."

"I'm surprised you didn't end up a tech type. I mean, that was what your dad was all about."

Joss chuckled and shook her head. "I was never really into that stuff. I was always about the martial arts, especially after you disappeared. I tried to get into it when Dad started making weapons and stuff, but I was still all about the martial arts. I wanted to be like you."

"Well, Joss, I did more than martial arts."

"I know, but this is what I needed to be a hero."

Kim smiled, but shook her head. "There are so many different kinds of heroes, but I am happy that I influenced you enough to want to help people and do good in this world. I can see that in these times being able to fight is much more of a necessity. It's good that you stand up for people that can't stand up for themselves."

A blush stained Joss' cheeks. "You think that well of me, even though you know I have really dark thoughts and want to do horrible things to Junior that I know you'd never do in a million years?"

Kim was silent briefly. She knew about more than just her cousin's dark thoughts. She was very aware that Joss killed people on Shego's orders. Killing people was not something that Kim felt she could ever approve of, even during war times. It did not help matters that Kim knew the people Joss killed were not working for Junior and were not true warriors. They were people who were executed without due process or fair trials. Of course, Kim was not even sure if those things still existed, so she was not even sure where to begin her griping.

The Legend then put her hand on her cousin's shoulder and patted her gently. "Joss, you know I still don't understand everything going on around here, but I do understand that Junior has taken a lot of important people from you, including your father. You're going to have tons of dark thoughts about him and I know you'll probably act them out if you ever get the chance, but that doesn't make you a bad person. You still stand up for people that can't stand up for themselves. You don't hurt people or use your power to push innocents around. So, yes, I think well of you. I think you've doing what you feel is best to help people in these dark times," she stated sincerely.

The auburn-haired warrior smiled a little with pride shining in her eyes. "Thanks, Kim. That means a lot to me because there used to be times when I thought you'd be ashamed of me and some of the things I've done. I mean, there were times when I'd get real down on myself because I knew you'd handle things differently. But, I'm not you, Kim, no matter how hard I try to be, and it is such a different time." She sighed and put her hand through her hair. "Sounds like I'm making excuses for things, huh?"

"It's okay, Joss," Kim said as she watched her poor cousin grow more and more uncomfortable. She did not want the other woman to feel bad over her actions, mainly because Joss was right to a degree. While Kim had a lot of ideals about what should happen and how, she had no idea what Joss really had to deal with. Besides, Joss did not seemed thrilled or pleased that she had ended lives. "Hey, how about we spar again? I can see how much I've actually improved or if it was all in my mind." She chuckled.

Joss smiled and nodded. They immediately got into their fighting stance. They circled each other, looking for an opening. Joss smirked.

"You're already completely different from the last time we scuffled. Defense is much tighter," Joss pointed out.

"Why thank you for noticing," Kim chuckled and then she attacked. "Yours is, unfortunately, still the same," she added as her punch landed.

Joss grunted. "Oh, that was dirty."

"Stop whining and show me what you got," Kim teased with a smile.

The warrior woman laughed, but continued to search for an opening. Kim was patient. She knew that her match against Joss would be a true test of her skills. If she could hold her own against Joss, then she could survive in her environment and help those in need in the war-torn world beyond being able to operate the Toltec.

Kim tapped Joss a few more times before things got serious. Joss countered the jabs with some of her own. The feeler punches eventually developed into serious, heavy blows. Minutes later, they were dancing a deadly tango. Kicks, punches, grabs, and holds echoed through the air.

"Whoa!" Joss hollered as she fell back and avoided getting hit in the chin by Kim's heel. And then, suddenly, she was on the ground. "Holy shit! How'd you get that fast?"

"Practice, of course," Kim replied.

Joss laughed a little and jumped up. She got back into her fighting stance and they were back to circling each other. Blows were exchanged with Joss tagging her cousin's arms up a little with punches. Kim knew that Joss was looking for an opening and she was not surprised when the warrior found one. Joss hit Kim with hooks, lighting up the hero's ribs. Kim grunted and groaned.

"You gotta tighten that up," Joss pointed out.

"I will," Kim replied, making the mental note that her guard was too high.

The lighter redhead countered Joss, grabbing the younger woman by the wrist. She hit Joss with several kicks before the warrior was able to get away. Joss took Kim's legs out from under her, but Kim was not down for more than a second. Joss stayed on her cousin, but it was not enough to keep Kim on the defensive.

Kim blocked and ducked until she saw the perfect spot to hit the younger woman. Joss did not expect the blow to her thigh and found it stinging more than she thought it would. Kim hit her again and she actually laughed, despite the pain.

"Why are you laughing?" Kim asked curiously.

"Pressure points. This is something Shego would do," Joss replied. "Have you fought her so much that you steal moves from her?"

Kim wanted to be insulted, but she did fight Shego a lot. She was more than aware they both adopted and adapted moves from each other. Deep down, she felt like there was more to it than that. Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind. She saw herself and Shego circling each other in a gym while laughing. She shook that away.

The cousins continued fighting and surprising each other. Sweat dripped from both of them as Kim called an end to the match. They had to catch their breath before they could do anything else.

"Goddamn, cousin, I can't believe how good you got in such a short space of time. It's just freaking amazing. I don't think I've been this worked over in a long time. You gonna tell me more about that program you use to spar?" Joss asked through a series of deep, gasping breaths. While she had not lost to Kim, she had not won either. Kim had definitely improved beyond what anything that could be considered normal.

"I'll show you it later. Right now, I want to catch a hot shower and meal before I have to check on Bonnie."

"That's your friend from high school, right? The one you been taking care of?"

Kim nodded. "How did you know about that?" It had been agreed between her and the so-called Elect that Bonnie's presence would not be common knowledge until it was understood that Bonnie was not to be touched just because she was Junior's wife. While Bonnie's existence was not something most people knew about, they wanted to be sure she was safe in the Emerald City, as well as the whole Obsidian Manor, the city of Isabella, and the country of Kimber itself. While Shego had expressed that it would not please her should someone touch Bonnie, hatred made people do stupid things.

Joss shrugged nonchalantly. "The same way anybody around here knows about stuff they shouldn't – Shadow Eyes told me."

"How does she know?" Kim asked.

"Who knows? She probably uses her ninja skills to spy on people. She likes to gossip, so she has to keep up with news. So, a lot of times, she knows stuff that no one else does."

"You talk to her a lot?" Kim asked while trying to figure out what to do if Joss found out who Bonnie was. She felt like Joss would not take the news well at first.

Joss shrugged. "Some. We're not usually around here at the same time. She has her missions and I have mine. When we're around here at the same time we like to chat and spar." Suddenly, Joss' eyes lit up. "You have got to spar with her. You'll love it."

Kim smiled at her cousin's enthusiasm. "I'll try if I have time and if she does."

Joss nodded and the cousins parted ways. Kim would not mind sparring with Hana. She wanted to get better, after all. So, she would spar with anyone willing.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie was asleep when Kim returned, which did not surprise the hero. It was late and Kim suspected her former teammate would sleep through the night. Bonnie was getting better with each day that went by. Trin still checked on her every few days. The doctor always had good news and expressed that Bonnie would eventually be as good as new. Of course, that would take a lot of time, rest, and work, but Bonnie was happy to hear that Junior had not totally ruined her body. Her mind was another matter, but she had a therapist recommended to her by Trin that she would start seeing as soon as she was able to and felt ready.

Kim was working on helping Bonnie heal mentally, especially since it was helping her. The more she spoke with Bonnie, the clearer her memories were. Well, her memories of high school. Beyond high school was still somewhat foggy. She guessed those memories would return if she had someone to discuss them with.

Some of her memories still puzzled her. They seemed surreal, but she knew they were true. Bonnie backed them up, as did Trin and Wade when Kim brought them up. There were even some news footage and articles to back them up.

"I still can't believe aliens invaded and we won. It's like something out of a cheesy sci-fi movie. I wonder why Drakken helped, ended up turning over a new leaf, and then went back to being bad," Kim pondered aloud as she went to take a shower. She bathed at Bonnie's place because she would have to give Bonnie some medication in less than an hour.

She knew whom she could ask if she really wanted to know what happened with Drakken. She was just uncomfortable about the idea of asking Shego questions. She would not, could not, believe that Shego would tell her the truth.

Kim put it out of her head and focused on getting clean. After that, she made some food and got Bonnie's meds. She went to eat with Bonnie, which was their ritual.

"How are you feeling?" Kim asked as she handed Bonnie her dinner and them her medicine.

"Pretty good. Trin came in earlier while you were gone," Bonnie informed her friend.

Kim arched an eyebrow. "Oh? What did she say?"

"Good news as always. She says I should get up and start walking around soon to exercise and strengthen my legs. She said it should be fine for me to go out," Bonnie answered.

"That is good news. Okay, so, we'll start out small with moving around the apartment and work our way to outside?"

Bonnie nodded and smiled. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"No big," Kim declared with a grin.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego sighed and shifted papers in front of her before turning her attention to the computer tablet that she was starting to use. She wiggled in her seat a little. She was stuck in the Dark Room, working as usual. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced up as she heard the door open.

"What's up, Doctor Blondie?" Shego greeted the eldest Possible.

"I've cleared Bonnie for exercise and activities. I also told her to go by her maiden name if she meets people and introduces herself. I also took notes of everything she told me that Junior did to her and matched it to her injuries. Mostly just so you can see everything does match up, so she's telling the truth and you can use that to shut up anyone swearing she's a spy," Trin explained as she handed over a folder.

Shego nodded. "Okay, she should be fine out there. Kimmie still palling around with her?"

"Yeah, she's still hanging around Bonnie. It's doing her good. Her memory is clearing up," Trin reported.

Shego growled. "I don't need your damn pity. You don't have enough of it to be wasting."

"And you need to stop acting like you don't care or the fact that she continues to snub you doesn't bother you. I know you're pissed that she easily accepted Bonnie, a girl that had once made it her mission to make Kim's life Hell and had practically laughed at Kim's funeral, while she's still acting like you're the enemy. So, be happy I'm willing to pass on tidbits of information, especially when you're so damned cranky," Trin snapped and then she removed her glasses to massage in between her eyes.

Shego growled. "I don't fucking care. Kimmie can do whatever the hell she wants. I've got bigger, more pressing matters to worry about."

"Your brothers?"

"What?" Shego practically roared.

"You're been wondering about your brothers. I know."

Emerald eyes narrowed. "What the hell is it with you people trying to play my fucking shrink all the goddamn time? Don't you have your own fucking issues to deal with?"

Trin rolled her eyes and replaced her glasses. "As for more pressing matters, seeds are being sent to Jannika and farming will resume immediately. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of people to work the fields. What do you want to do about that?"

"I'll get some people out there. Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Then, I guess we're done." Shego waved the blond out the room.

Trin turned to leave and paused at the door. "I hear Kim'll be sparring with Joss and Hana later today. Maybe out in the main garden or maybe it was out in the forest. I forget which." She then vanished out the door.

Shego snarled. "Why the hell are you all so damn nosy?" She glanced behind her. "You're included in that if you talked Hana into hanging out with little Miss Perfect."

Shadow Hand scoffed. "I have better things to do with my time. I also have better things for Hana to do with her time."

Emerald eyes rolled, but she left her bodyguard alone. She went back to work, but noted the slight twitch in Shadow Hand's fingers. She bit back a smirk, but was glad to know she was not the only one that was affected by what was going on.

She knew that Kim's presence bothered Shadow Hand and every now and then she tried to figure out why. At first, she assumed that he was annoyed with having someone around that they might have to babysit. He seemed to have no faith in Kim's ability to take care of herself, adapt to her environment, or grow as a warrior. In fact, he did not seem to think she was a warrior.

Of course, when she proved herself to be just that, his aggravation did not vanish. Shego figured he was worried and nervous. He did not want anything tragic to befall Kim, but he did not know how to show it. _Puts him in the same boat as me almost, two sad sights_.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, you want to go first?" Joss asked, speaking to Shadow Eyes. They were with Kim and Ryujin in a clearing in the forest. They decided to do it there because there would not be any audience beyond the people with them as far as they knew, which meant that there would be less distractions.

"Yes, since you've already fought the Legend several times. I want the challenge of being surprised," Hana replied with a smirk before pulling her mask over her face.

"You didn't even ask me," Ryujin pointed out with a frown.

Joss did not deign to look at the young ninja. "The only reason you're even here is because you were already with Kim when I called her out."

"Hey, you don't have to be bitchy," Shadow Eyes pointed out. "Now, out of the way while the Legend and I dance."

Joss chuckled and backed out of the designated fighting area. Ryujin did the same. Kim and Hana looked at each other before Hana vanished right before Kim's very eyes. The action reminded Kim that she was not up against a straightforward warrior like Joss. Hana was a new creature. Kim smiled; Hana was a new challenge.

Kim was on guard, tucked into her fighting stance. Every sense was on high alert. She scanned the area and waited. She did not have to wait long and put up her forearm, blocking a kick from Hana that stung Kim's arm. She did not have time to think about that minor pain, as Hana kept coming.

Kim blocked each blow as the ninja moved forward. The redhead remained calm while Shadow Eyes' attack seemed endless. Kim had to give up ground to remain defensive. Hana seemed to be getting upset because her hits were getting harder.

"I feel like you want me to counter," Kim remarked with a smirk.

"Just do something to keep me for falling asleep," Shadow Eyes retorted.

"Delighted," Kim said, not knowing that she started something by simply opening her mouth.

Shadow Eyes did not let up, even though she was daring Kim to do something. The hero did not require the charity, though. She backed up a little more while waiting for her opportunity. When the time came, she struck like a black mamba - fast and deadly. Her punch snapped at Hana's side with just enough bite to put a hitch her breath and a brief pause in her.

"Oh, the Legend just got serious. Right before I was going to assume you were more the Myth," Hana quipped.

"She's not gonna shut up now, Kim," Joss commented with a scoff.

"Not until I put the Legend back in the history books," the kunoichi (female ninja) replied.

"I think this is one book you'll find hard to put down," Kim chimed in.

Joss rolled her eyes. "God, Kim, you're another one that runs your mouth while fighting." She groaned.

Kim and Hana ignored Joss' complaints. Kim remained in her fighting stance while Shadow Eyes vanished from sight again. Kim suddenly leaped out of the way as Hana came down out of the trees, hitting the space that Kim had occupied with a hard kick. There was an impact crater left where her foot came down.

"Gotta try harder than that," the redhead taunted her opponent as she disappeared into the treetops.

Hana gave chase. Kim flipped through the branches, avoiding any attacks that the ninja came at her with. Once she was sure Hana was all about being on her tail, she turned and countered. Hana let out a surprised yelp and barely put her hands up to block the fury of kicks that came her way.

"That all you, got? I've been hit by colds that pack a harder punch," Shadow Eyes remarked as she retreated higher up into the trees.

"And I've chased much smaller rabbits," Kim replied as she launched herself after the ninja.

The exchange of blows echoed though the woods. Grunts and groans are accompanied those. More than any of those, there were the combatants' voices. Kim could not keep up with every little thing that Hana said – mostly because after a while Hana even talked to herself – the redhead talked enough for it to catch Joss' and Ryujin's attention.

"Was she always like this?" Ryujin asked curiously.

Joss shrugged. "I dunno. It would explain why Shego liked fighting her so much."

Ryujin nodded and then turned his attention back to the fight as Hana landed on her back right in front of them. His eyes went wide as saucers while Joss smiled. The female ninja actually laughed.

"I guess this is serious," Shadow Eyes proclaimed as she shot to her feet.

With the excited ninja's next attack, Kim was the one that ended up on her back. She smiled and the match just seemed to get more intense. Eventually, they had to call time because Joss wanted to spar before the sun went down. She ended fighting with Kim after an hour wait. Hana stood off to the side with Ryujin and observed the new match.

"She fights Joss differently from how she fought me," Shadow Eyes commented.

"She adapts. You fight with a completely different style, so she approaches you differently. It's smart," Ryujin replied and then he glanced up at the sky. "I don't think I'm going to get a chance to spar."

"You hang out with her like everyday. Spar with her later when Joss isn't gonna be around to heckle you. You know she's just gonna get on your case," his aunt pointed out.

He nodded. "You're right. Maybe I should go see if Jess is free."

Hana chuckled. "Yeah, you better now because you know I'm about to heckle the hell out of you from that."

Ryujin left on that note, bidding the ladies farewell as he ran off. The fighting continued long after the blond left. The trio worked each other out until the sun went down. When Kim was not fighting she spent time gazing out into the forest. Both Hana and Joss got on her case for spacing out. They parted ways before they returned to the Obsidian Manor.

-8-8-8-8-

"That was impressive. Not only did she hold her own against Joss and Hana, but she spotted us there, no matter how many times we moved," Shego commented as she and her bodyguard settled back into the throne room.

"Sparring isn't a battle. Besides, Hana wasn't serious," Shadow Hand argued calmly.

"Could you be any more full of it? Hana is always serious about fighting. Stop making excuses. Give her credit," Shego huffed.

"Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

She scoffed. "Seriously, that's the best you can do?"

"What? You make it sound like she could end this thing. That's a fairy tale people tell kids."

Green eyes rolled. "Just put more words in my mouth. She's an asset to our cause. I don't see why you can't just admit that. Too easy?" she teased with a smirk.

"Don't you have work to do?" he countered.

Shego snorted, but she did get back to work. Of course, she had trouble concentrating. Her mind was more about images of Kim fighting more then anything else. She was useless for the rest of the day.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim went to check on Bonnie once she was showered and bandaged. She had cuts and bruises from the sparring, but she had definitely given as good as she had gotten. She looked forward to doing it again.

"Hey, Bonnie," Kim greeted her friend as she entered the apartment.

"Hey, Kim," Bonnie called from the kitchen. "I got up and started cooking."

"That's great! How you feeling?"

"Pretty good. I still get tired easily, but I walked around the apartment earlier, which made me take a nap, but then I woke up and figured I'd handle dinner."

Kim smiled. "Glad you're doing good. Want to go out for a walk tomorrow in one of the gardens?"

"Sounds good. I don't think I can walk for too long, though." Bonnie turned to face the redhead and gasped. "What happened to your face?"

Kim's forehead wrinkled. "Oh! I was sparring and we got carried away. Don't worry about it. I'm not hurt and this was all friendly."

Bonnie did not appear convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's no big. It was just sparring. Don't think about it."

Bonnie nodded slowly. "Do you think that when I get totally healthy you could … um … teach me some stuff?"

"What martial arts?" Kim asked and Bonnie nodded shyly. The hero smiled. "No problem. You should learn how to defend yourself. It's a good idea."

Bonnie smiled and Kim was glad to see some light returning to those blue-green eyes. The pair had dinner together and planned for Bonnie's first trip at out of the apartment.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego gets advice from a strange source and then ends up challenging Kim to a sparring match.


	31. 3:5: Stronger

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.5: Stronger

Shego knew that she should be working. There were dozens of things to do, but she could not focus on any of them, despite their importance. She could not stop thinking of Kim, so she decided to take the bull by the horns and sought out the redhead. When she found the object of her distraction, she wished that she had just stayed away.

She spotted Kim with Bonnie and they were just walking around. She was glad to see that Bonnie had healed properly, but almost drowning that out emotion were the horrible, intense jealousy and envy that she felt toward Bonnie. _Why the hell will she hang out with the former Queen of Mean and yet I'm still a thorn in her side? What the hell?_

Shego could not figure out why she remained a leper as far as Kim was concerned. _What the fuck does Kim want from me to at least go back to what we used to have?_ She wanted to at least be friends again, if only for a connection to a time before everything turned to shit. _But, of course, I'm asking too much from life yet again. Life gets to be nothing but shit now_.

She tried to turn away, but her eyes refused to look away. A burning sting settled in her chest and worked its way into her throat. Growling, she hated the emotion boiling inside of her. Again, she tried to avert her gaze, but she could not. She stared for a long while, just thinking about time long gone and time that she knew she would never get back.

"My Kimmie is gone. I should just accept that and be happy that Kim is alive," Shego sighed, shaking her head.

She was about to walk away, but she saw something that helped drive home the fall that her Princess was gone. Ryujin approached Kim and Bonnie. He had Jessie with him. Kim's face lit up and she jumped into a conversation with the teens just as easily as she conversed with Bonnie. The Kim that Shego was watching was teen Kim, the Kim that viewed her as an arch nemesis. Her Kim was probably gone and lost forever.

It did not help matters that Kim looked like a teenager. Kim was supposed to be forty-three years old, but had not aged a day beyond her twenty years while she had been trapped. Shego actually felt old looking at the redhead.

"I should feel like a pervert staring at her, wanting her, lusting for her," the pale woman muttered as she shook her head once again.

Of course, she did not feel that way. Instead, she felt an intense longing gnawing at her insides. It felt like her desires and love increased a thousand fold every time she gazed upon Kim. Then everything inside of her would wilt and wither when she recalled Kim did not want anything to do with her.

She wanted to get over the disappointment in her heart and she told herself that she needed to, but it was not as easy as she thought. Looking at Kim, hearing her voice, and even smelling her natural scent were emotional overloads for Shego. She felt like she was being punished with Kim's existence.

_Or maybe with my own existence_. Shego considered. Maybe she was being punished. Her whole life often felt like one huge punishment for failing to die or be trapped when Drakken wanted her to be. She imagined a much different, far greater future for the world if that Kim had allowed things to go as planned.

"Both sets of parents could be alive for one," Shego needlessly reminded herself.

She was not sure how her parents would have taken her disappearing, but she knew they would not have died over it. They probably would have found her eventually and would have made Drakken regret doing what he did. She would have been fine and life as everyone knew it would have proceeded on as normal.

Too bad life did not come with do-overs. _Knowing me, I'd have screwed up the do-overs even worse than the first time around_. Sighing, Shego shook her head and finally managed to turn away. She walked off before crippling regret made it impossible to do so. She did not make it far before a familiar voice stopped her.

"Have you considered doing something nice for her?" Hana asked as she dropped down from a tree. She landed behind the western leader, which caused Shego to turn around and glare at the younger woman.

"The only reason I didn't say anything about you watching me was because you were quiet. And you had to go and blow that. What the hell are you even talking about?" Shego huffed.

"Kim. Have you considered doing something nice for her? You know, to get her attention and show her that you're not as bad as she thinks you are," the ninja pointed out.

Shego frowned. "What do you even know about it?"

Hana chuckled. "C'mon, Shego. I am the gossip queen. Besides, I did grow up around all of you. I'm not oblivious. I know about you and …" Chocolate eyes drifted over to Kim.

Shego snorted. "You don't know a damn thing."

"I do know Kim doesn't think highly of you. So, why don't you do something nice for her? Whenever Ron screwed up with Onee-chan (1), he'd do something nice for her and everything'd be okay again. You should try it."

The plasma-wielder scoffed. "Things are more complicated between me and Kim than things could ever be between your brother and Yori. That's just the way it is. So, mind your business about it."

"C'mon, Shego! You're acting like you've lost already! It's not like she's dating Bonnie or anything. Besides, as far as I can tell, she's still missing memories, so she can come around and end up liking you again. Show her you care by doing nice stuff for her," the younger woman argued.

Shego growled. "Why the hell can't you just let it go? Since when have I ever asked your opinion on my personal life?"

Hana shrugged. "Never, but it seems like you should."

"Yeah, because you have such an active personal life, right?" Shego scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Hana laughed. "I have friends!"

"Friends? Like who? Look, I mean this in the nicest possible way, mind your own goddamn business. You don't know what's going on, even if you think you do. This is more complex than forgetting an anniversary or ditching a shopping trip. This is more complicated than your brother and his wife could ever hope to be. So, just let it go," Shego ordered.

"But –" Hana was cut off by the leader raising her hand to silence the younger woman.

"Let it go," Shego commanded in a sharp tone, pointing at the ninja.

Hana snorted. "Fine, but I still think you should try doing something nice for Kim."

Shego waved the advice off and decided to take her leave before Hana really got on her nerves. Hana watched the western leader stroll away before moving herself. The ninja made her way over to Kim and the others. She fit in with no problem and found herself able to answer Shego's earlier question; she had friends like Kim, Ryujin, Bonnie, Jessie, and Joss. Of course, they were all newly acquired, but she doubted that mattered.

"Where's Joss and what are we doing?" Hana asked with a smile. She hoped that Joss had not been called out on an assignment, but she knew that was a real possibility. The same could happen to her, which was why she planned to hang out with her new friends as much as she could, doing what she could, enjoying what she could. She hoped that Shego did the same in a way.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was aware that she should not, but she double backed to watch Kim. She felt like a stalker, but she did not have anything else that she could do. Kim did not want anything to do with her beyond keeping an eye on her despite the fact that Shego thought they connected when they spoke in Jannika.

So, she watched Kim hang out with her new crew. They chatted loudly and happily. There were smiles from people that once upon a time did not know how to smile. They even sparred and remained in high spirits, even though Bonnie and Jessie fussed over the warriors getting hurt. Shego thought it was slightly cute, especially since Kim was clearly enjoying herself.

When it was all said and done, the pale woman was about to go back to work, but she was pinned by two sets of eyes. Olive eyes locked on her as if glaring through her and then a set of dark eyes seemed to encourage her out. She sighed and took a step forward.

"Hey, Aunt Shego. What brings you out?" Ryujin asked with a bright smile.

"Hey, gang. I was just watching you guys work," Shego replied, motioning to the whole group.

"Thinking about jumping in? I think the four of us would be enough to take you for at least ten minutes," Joss remarked with a laugh. She had shown up minutes after Hana did.

Shego smirked. "I'm not sure you guys are ready for this," she informed them with confidence.

"Nah, I think we could probably pin you. Of course, you would have to agree to not use your powers," Hana bargained.

"Well, you guys can stand around bantering with Shego, but I'm hungry and going to get some food," Kim announced.

"What, you don't want to spar, cupcake? You know I'll kick your ass just like I used to," Shego boasted with a smirk.

Kim scowled. "I could take you any day of the week!"

Shego chuckled. "I don't know about all of that. You're not that cool," she teased.

The redhead growled. "I used to take you down everyday before homeroom. I think you're the one that's not that cool."

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is," Shego challenged the petite hero. She saw a spark on those leaf-colored eyes, just as she knew she would. _Kim probably won't ever be able to back down from a challenge_.

"I'm not scared of you, Shego," Kim declared.

"I never said you were, Princess. In fact, I know you're never scared," the pale woman replied. "So, how about we dance for old times' sake?"

Kim was about respond, but her stomach beat her to the punch by grumbling loudly. An embarrassed blush stained her peach cheeks while her friends laughed. A soft look suddenly overcame emerald eyes.

"I don't think we're in any shape to keep fighting. We all need to eat something," Ryujin pointed out.

"I am starving," Hana complained with a groan. "Kim worked me out something good that last match." She chuckled. "Let's go get some food and the Savior and the Legend can work out the details of the greatest match of all times!"

Kim frowned a bit while Shego fought down a laugh. _Hana's more subtle than we ever gave her credit for_, Shego thought. She went off with the group with the hope of getting some conversation out of Kim. She figured it should be easier than ever since they would be in a group and most in that clique spoke to her with ease.

They ended up at a restaurant nearby and were seated at a table immediately. They ordered and conversed while waiting for the food. Most of the discussion revolved around sparring and combat. Bonnie and Jessie even chimed in, usually to ask questions.

"That spin kick shit you do, do you realize how much wasted movement that is?" Joss said to Hana.

"Yet, I busted your ass with it," Hana remarked.

"And, yet, your nephew almost snapped your neck when you tried it on him," Shego chimed in.

Hana waved the comment off. "Do you know how many times he has seen that move? If he couldn't counter it, I'd have to disown him and question his lineage."

Ryujin chuckled and smiled. "It's not that complicated. Joss is right about the wasted movement. But, I know you use it because Bebes never seem to see it coming. It's so much crazy movement new opponents never know what's coming, even with the data on you."

"Ryujin trying to show that he pays attention." Hana grinned and slapped the blond on the back a few times. "I don't think you need to try to impress Jessie, though. She's obviously digging you enough to hang out with you."

Ryujin's face lit up to a deep crimson and he sputtered, trying to come up with something to counter his big-mouthed aunt. He could not say anything and Hana decided to come to her nephew's aid. She turned her attention to Kim.

"So, when can we expect to see the greatest fight of all time?" the kunoichi inquired with an interested grin.

"I don't know. I mean, Shego technically should be a busy woman. She's supposed to be taking care of a whole country," Kim declared and glared at the western leader.

"She needs to exercise and stay at the top of her game, just like the rest of us," Joss pointed out. "So, work out a time," she added as if giving an order.

Shego smirked. "It's okay if the Legend is scared," she taunted the redhead.

Kim growled. "I'll fight you anytime, anywhere," she vowed, tapping her finger heatedly against the table a couple of times.

"Good," Shego said lightly and quickly decided on a time and place. The whole group planned to be there for that match.

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim, is it wise for you to fight Shego? I mean, she's practically invincible from what I used to hear," Bonnie commented as she and her fellow former cheerleader entered Bonnie's apartment.

Kim waved that off. "Don't worry. I beat Shego all the time."

"That was twenty years ago, Kim. She's not the same fighter from back when she was Drakken's sidekick. You have to be careful, okay?" Bonnie begged.

Kim chuckled and waved the whole matter off. "It's no big, Bonnie. Don't worry about it. Now, make sure you take your medicine."

Bonnie nodded and did not argue, but Kim could tell she was still worried. The redhead did not bring the topic back up, though. She was fairly certain that she could hold her own against Shego thanks to her training simulation. Not to mention, she always beat Shego. She figured that the match could serve as a warning, so Shego knew not to step out of line with her around.

-8-8-8-8-

"So, you're fighting Kim now?" Shadow Hand inquired as Shego tried to get some work out of the way.

Shego was silent briefly. Her focus was seriously on her job for the first time in a long time. She felt oddly pleased with the simple fact that Kim had agreed to spar with her. It was definitely a step up from being completely shunned.

"We're just going to have a friendly sparring match," Shego replied with a shrug.

He snorted. "You think she'll see it that way?"

"Probably not, but I'm taking what I can get," she replied.

"That's a little pathetic."

"I don't believe I asked your opinion," she said dryly.

"I'm giving it, anyway. You lose your mind when it comes to Kim. I don't think people will be happy with the Savior beating the Legend."

"It's not a real fight. We're just sparring. We also didn't invite the world to watch. Now, leave me alone about it. I'm actually getting work done."

Shadow Hand was silent from then on. Shego wished it was that easy to get everyone else to shut the hell up. She did consider what he said, but concluded he was making things bigger than they were. Even if everyone knew about the match – and with the way Hana worked the whole world had to know by now – she doubted that anyone would take it seriously. It was just a sparring match.

Well, she hoped that it was just a sparring match. Even if Kim took it seriously, it would end up like their old fights. There would be fun taunting and banter and it would not appear serious to an outsider. And, hopefully, it would help Kim remember when they used to spar as friends. _Well, that would be a good start, but I think its common knowledge at this point that I want so much more_.

Shego allowed herself to get caught up in what she wanted. She wanted Kim to accept her and pick up where they left off and go even further than that. Honestly, she was not sure if Kim would ever have feelings for her beyond friendship, but she would be fine with just that. After all, as far as she knew Kim was straight. That had always been in her mind since her feelings evolved.

Shaking those thoughts away, Shego went back to work. Everything was going smoothly until she was interrupted. She heard the doors open, but she did not have to look up to know who was there. Trin had a girly scent to her that entered rooms long before she did.

"What's up, Doctor Blondie?" Shego asked.

"Reports on Jannika." Trin held up the folder. She then held up another folder. "Health reports on both Bonnie and Kim." She placed both folders on the table in front of Shego.

"How are they shaping up, doc?" Shego asked curiously.

"Improving by leaps and bounds, especially Bonnie. Real food and regular meals are doing her the most good, followed by full nights of sleep. I'm going to send her to one of our therapists, so she can start working on her mental and emotional trauma, since the physical is under control."

The ebony-haired woman nodded. "I still can't believe that bastard tortured his own wife for twenty years. What the hell do you think he's doing to my brothers?"

"I have no idea and I try not to imagine it. But, Bonnie has said that Junior treated her as he did because he blamed her for his father's death and wanted her to suffer for it."

"That doesn't make me feel better, oh-doctor-without-bedside-manner. He could be torturing my brothers for any number of things, including just being related to me," Shego pointed out. "Tell me about Kimmie. I'm sure you've heard about our upcoming match. I don't want to be responsible for ruining the Legend."

Trin smiled a little. "Right. Kim's doing well. Her memories are clearing up very well. She can remember up to her senior year thanks to talking with Bonnie. She remembered dating Ron."

Shego laughed. "How was her reaction?"

"A little surprised, but thankfully she remembered what led up to it and why they were dating. Before that, she felt like she had committed incest," Trin reported.

There was another laugh from the ebony-haired ruler. "Does she remember their breakup?"

The blond shook her head. "Not yet. I assume it's because she can't discuss that with Bonnie. Hopefully, she'll get over her aversion to you and you can fill her in. I wish I had been around her more during that time to help her through this."

"It wasn't like you saw this coming. You thought you had a lifetime to spend with her, just like I did."

Blue eyes rolled. "Stupid us. Talk to her as much as you can when you spar. Basically, say things that you just expect her to know. Don't put them in question form or anything. Just say it. That's how Bonnie does it and it's working. I've done it, too. Most of the time, she'll look at you like you're crazy, but after a few seconds it clearly dawns on her what you're talking about. Sometimes, she doesn't remember, but it's best to try."

Shego nodded to show that she understood. She had planned to talk Kim into unconsciousness if she could. Now that she knew talking helped, she would have to do more than the usual taunting. She needed to think about some of the good times they had and run her mouth about those.

Trin took her leave to return to other work. Shego flipped through the folders before turning her attention back to her work. For a while, everything was quiet, but Shego could not let that stand.

"You should talk to Kim. It could help her and, if nothing else, help us since she's now involved in our fight," Shego suggested.

Shadow Hand scoffed. "Talk to her? About what, the same stupid, vapid bullshit that she talks to Bonnie about? I don't have time for that and I'm not giving her special treatment because people think she's some God-like figure. I still don't think she should be involved in this. She doesn't know what's going on around here and she needs to stay out of it."

Shego laughed. "You sound pretty damn involved with her. You want to protect her and keep her pristine and pure, like her image as the Legend."

"Where do you get this bullshit? You sound like everybody else."

She shrugged. "I have to do it to somebody around this crazy joint. Can't be annoyed alone. But, seriously, you should talk to her."

He scoffed. "So, she can treat me like you? Fuck that."

Shego was silent briefly, but had a sound argument. "Or like the way she treats Bonnie? She definitely still has the forgive and forget thing going on."

He scoffed again and she could tell he rolled his eyes behind his mask. _I know him way too well to know when he's rolling his eyes_. She shook that away while waiting for his next excuse.

"I don't need her pity or her treating me like some broken bird anymore than I need her treating me like some villain. So, just drop it," he growled.

Shego shrugged and decided to do just that. She could not force him to speak to Kim anymore than she could force Kim to return her feelings. She would let him think on it and act on his own … or not act at all. Knowing him, it would probably be the latter; or at least it would take him a very long time to get to the former. She went back to work after that.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego yawned and stretched as she made her way to the designated sparring place – her gym. It was the only place to ensure that they would not have a stadium-sized audience watching them. Of course, ten minutes after the match was over, everybody and their third cousin would know about it because Hana would tell everyone that she met that would listen about it.

Kim showed up a few minutes later with her shadow – Bonnie. Bonnie stopped short when she noticed Shadow Hand standing in the corner. A gentle hand from Kim to Bonnie's back got her moving again and got Shego's jealousy raging. _What the hell? You'd think they were dating with the kid gloves Kimmie uses with her!_

Shego shook the thought away, wondering if she would dislodge her brain from all of the head shaking she had been doing lately. She moved onto the mat and waited for Kim to do the same. Before that could happen, Ryujin and Shadow Eyes showed up. The light in Hana's eyes spoke of the excitement that she felt with this fight. _I guess five minutes would be more accurate in everyone knowing about this_.

Kim moved onto the mat while Bonnie moved to stand as far away from the dark menace known as Shadow Hand without actually leaving the room. Joss showed up and stood by Bonnie as Kim and Shego circled each other. Shego could not help the smirk that settled onto her face.

"You look pretty confident for someone who's about to get beat down," Kim commented.

"You know, back when we used to do this weekly you had better insults," Shego retorted.

Kim flinched, but it was only for a moment. "Stop talking nonsense and make a move."

Shego smirked. "I dunno. I'm having fun with the nonsense. You used to laugh at my nonsense once upon a time. Now, maybe if you try some witty banter in return we could have some fun with the fight that doesn't seem to be happening."

"I'm not playing some sick game with you," Kim declared.

"Why not?" the plasma-wielder feigned whining. "It'll be so much fun, like when we used catch movies together and make fun of them!"

Kim decided to shut Shego up the only way she currently knew how – she attacked. Shego actually yelped as she dodged the surprise series of punches and kicks. The spectators, with the exception of Shadow Hand, laughed at the noise that escaped their fearless leader.

"The last time you surprised me that easily you told me you might be a psych major," Shego remarked.

Again Kim did not know how to react, so she attacked with even more gusto. The moves were ones that Shego had observed Kim use while sparring with the others, but were not from Kim's usual bag of tricks. Kim had learned a lot while she had been away. Shego had expected nothing less.

"Why don't you stop making stuff up and fight back?" Kim proposed with a grunt.

"Ah, you don't want that, Princess. Last time we were at a gym, I cleaned your clock. You had a wicked black eye and refused to talk to me for a week, even after I bought you an apology hot chocolate."

Something about that comment bothered Kim because the sting in blows increased and her pace picked up. Shego remained defensive, blocking everything that Kim came at her with. With each block and dodge, Kim seemed to grow more frustrated as her hits got more and more intense.

"Why aren't you fighting back, Shego? C'mon, this is supposed to be a match," Kim pointed out.

Shego was trying to resist the temptation in fighting back because she did not desire to harm Kim, but the nostalgia proved too much for her. Besides, she would only insult Kim, who had proven that she could hold her own, if she did not fight back. _Well, no reason not to give us both what we want or to keep pissing off the one person I want to think I'm not a horrible person_.

"Just remember you asked for it, Pumpkin." Shego smiled.

Suddenly, the western ruler turned the tables on Kim and went on the offensive, ducking a kick and hitting Kim in the chest. The redhead grunted and glared at Shego in surprise. Shego only smiled and that was when things turned really intense.

Kim came at Shego with a flurry of kicks that once upon a time probably would have put Shego on her ass. Shego knew Kim was playing with her, trying to draw her in and show her the vast array of new moves that Kim added to her repertoire. Shego was not biting, though.

"I've got more patience than you remember, cupcake. I'm not stupid and I've seen this show before," Shego quipped before grabbing Kim's leg and forcing the hero off balance.

Kim growled and quickly gathered herself just in time to avoid a palm strike from her opponent. She ducked several moves from the older woman and then countered. They rapidly went at each other and exchanged blows, none of them causing real harm. Shego made sure to control herself because despite what Kim thought, Shego could truly hurt her.

The redhead kept coming at Shego harder whenever the ruler opened her mouth, but that did not stop Shego from talking. She brought up as many good memories as she could rattle off in short sentences. She noticed that each one only served to upset the petite hero more.

After an hour, it was clear that Kim was exhausted and Shego honestly could go on for days. Kim did not seem to want concede the match. _There's that adorable Kimness that I've missed for so long_.

"Kim, how about we call if a day? I've got to get back to work," Shego said. She was certain that the redhead would fight her until she dropped if she did not give Kim some kind of an excuse to stop.

"Oh, so you quit?" Kim asked with a tired smile as she panted.

Shego chuckled. "You always say that." _She just can't take that I have more endurance than her, ever_.

Kim smiled again; the expression put a bright look in those olive eyes. Shego's knees almost buckled at the expression. She knew that look, having seen it over drinks and sometimes while sparring. It was wonderful to see again. _Dammit, I have more useless hope again. I really need to stick that shit back in Pandora's box_.

"But, seriously, I got work and you need to go eat. We can do this again some time," Shego proposed as causally as she possibly could. _Way to not sound an awkward!_ She mentally congratulated herself.

Kim narrowed her gaze. "Fine, but don't back out of it."

Shego laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it, Pumpkin." In fact, she would not miss that for the world. _Yeah, no chance of that damned thing going back in the box now_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego tries something else with Kim while Junior confronts Drakken on a matter and Trin confronts Shadow Hand.

1: Onee-chan: literally it means "big sister," but it is also used to address an older woman, but one that's like in her twenties.


	32. 3:6: Kick the puppy

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.6: Kick the puppy

Shego's hope had been very short lived. When she met to spar with Kim again after getting some work done, she found her Princess more angry than amused by their last session. Kim did not see it as a friendly match as Shego had hoped and when they got together again, Kim seemed to be trying to teach Shego a lesson.

Of course, Shego being hardheaded refused to learn the lesson. She went at Kim with the usual mouth-running and fighting. Kim frowned and growled as she tried to take Shego's head off with every move that she made. That only got worse if Shego made a comment about how they used to hang out and that they used to do. In fact, as soon as she mentioned it, she had to duck a powerful kick.

"Whoa, Princess, you trying to kill me?" Shego asked as she backed up and avoided losing her head.

"I'm just tired of listening to your lies. Now, stop talking and start fighting," Kim demanded with a stone-cold glare.

"I can do both!" Shego snorted, trying to keep her fury under control. _Dammit, I knew I was wrong to hope_. She forced out a smile.

In the end, the match ended the same way that the last one did. Kim was too exhausted to go on after a while and Shego offered up the excuse of needing to go back to work. Kim protested, but she could barely stand up and Shego just walked away. Kim could not follow her or attack her.

"Doing something nice right now sounds pretty good, eh?" Hana commented with a smile.

Shego snarled, but did not respond. She did not want to do "nice things" because she knew that the redhead would rebuff her. Kim did not seem to be making an effort to remember her, so surely the younger woman would think something was up if she started doing nice things for Kim.

"Just think about it. You can show her that you're not the awful person she thinks you are," Hana said.

Shego waved the suggestion off. She went back to work, but could hardly focus. None of the words on the papers or on her tablet screen made sense to her. All her mind could focus on was the heated look in Kim's eyes, which reminded her that only a few days ago Kim had gazed upon her with warmth in her eyes. It was such an unguarded moment, but Kim must have realized what she had done because there were no more open expressions. Everything had been measured and leveled glares.

"She's trying to hate me now. What the hell should I do with this? She just refuses to see me as anything more than the evil sidekick turned evil despot. She's given everyone else a chance while giving me her ass to kiss. And my dumb-ass just keeps puckering up." She shook her head and sighed warily.

There had to be something that she could do since fighting was not working. She just did not know what to do beyond fighting because that used to be the best way that she and Kim understood each other.

"There has to be something I can do," she lamented. Nothing came to mind.

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim, are you okay?" Bonnie asked as she dropped down to Kim's side. They were still in the gym and the hero was still on the floor. They were the only ones there.

Kim snarled and smacked the mat. "I need to be able to beat her!"

"Why are you so determined to beat her? She's like the ultimate warrior, you know? She's had twenty years to perfect this and you've been asleep in that time. You're not going to beat her in your second fight against her," Bonnie calmly reasoned with the petite hero.

"I need to be ready in case she does something horrible," Kim argued.

"Kim, it's been twenty years. I don't think she's fighting Junior just to take his place. If she was, she'd have done that already on this end."

Kim was silent momentarily. "Look, Bonnie, I know Junior put you through enough for you to know exactly what evil is, but just because Shego isn't as bad as him doesn't mean she's a saint. I know the type of person Shego is."

After all, Shego was the type of person that made Kim hate her, which was an emotion no other person, aside from Junior now, had been able to do. Shego had spent years trying to take over the world with an insane megalomaniac. She could not have just dropped those desires. They had to still be there.

Bonnie sighed softly. "Kim, it's been twenty years. People change. Look at me. I'm not the same person you knew, right?" she pointed out in an almost meek manner.

The tender, nearly frightened tone got Kim's attention enough for her to forget her own turmoil. She would just have to train harder for when she had to take on Shego, which she was certain she would have to do sometime in the future. She would not let Shego or Junior rule the world, but for now, she would take care of Bonnie.

"No, you're not the same person, but you're not the same person you were twenty days ago," Kim remarked as she sat up.

"Sometimes, when I'm with you and the others, I feel like I'm not the same person from twenty minutes ago," Bonnie joked.

"I hope that's a good thing."

Bonnie smiled and nodded. "It is."

"You still want me to show you some moves?"

"Are you up to it? I mean, you did just go an hour with the deadliest warrior on Earth."

"I'm just winded," Kim replied. Despite having just gone an hour with "the deadliest warrior on Earth," she was surprisingly damage-free. Shego barely tapped her from the way that she felt.

Bonnie smiled and nodded. "If you feel up to it, I would love to learn whatever I can."

"Good to know. Let's get to it then."

The redhead hopped to her feet. She stretched to work out the very slight strain in her taxed muscles. She then faced Bonnie and went into a teacher-mode that she did not even know she had.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior frowned darkly. He was still stuck in his temporary headquarters. His engineers were not having the best of luck getting his fortress off the ground. Even when he had taken to executing an engineer for every week that he was stuck on the ground, it had done little to help their effort in putting the damned citadel back in the air.

As far as he had been told, there was no real set time for when the fortress would be floating again. He had demanded answers for that, which he got tons of. The missile that had hit than had done a plethora of things to his home, but the worst was eating away at the metal exterior. They lived some place where everything was scarce and he needed to replace a lot of material.

"Then someone will just have to sacrifice until we can get the raw materials. I need my home back," he decided and he got on the phone. "Doctor Porter," he said.

"Yes, sir?" Vivian answered.

"How are you in getting the Hive back online? It's been more than a month," he pointed out.

She openly scoffed. "Back online? Whoever the hell took a jab at the Hive made sure to make it count. The main frame has over a hundred separate viruses on it and the Bebes are continuously infected whenever they try to connect. Sometimes, it'll do a wireless transfer and the Bebes end up with a dozen new viruses. This was seriously planned out," she huffed.

"So, when can I expect my army to be up and running?" he demanded.

She was silent for a moment. "A couple of months."

He growled. "Months? My dear doctor, need I remind you we are in the middle of a war?"

"No, but Shego is scrambling to feed her people. We have time, which we need if we want the Bebes fully functional. These viruses could prove a serious problem if we let the Bebes move prematurely."

"I understand, doctor. Until you get your problem under control, all materials used for the production of Bebes will be used elsewhere." He disconnected the call before she could object. He immediately informed all of his servants of his decisions about materials and then went on to make another call. "Mirage, report," he commanded.

"There is nothing new to report, highness. Shego and her minions are still focusing on repairing the damage in Jannika as well as making sure no one starves. They are not making any moves against you," Mirage informed him.

Junior nodded. "And what of Kim Possible?"

"She's been busy with an injured friend and spending time with new friends. She's sparred with Joss Possible and a woman named Hana that I haven't been able to find records of. She has also sparred with Shego twice and was beaten soundly both times."

An elegant ebony eyebrow arched. "Shego fought Kim?"

"Only a friendly match, sir. Kim Possible was clearly outclassed, though."

"And have you learned anything about the machine Kim was piloting in the battle?"

" Negative, sire. All of that information is being heavily guarded. I haven't seen Wade or Tatsu much."

He frowned. "They could be working on something much worse. You have to find out what they're up to. They've already done too much damage. We can't let them do more. Find out what they're up to," he ordered.

"I'm doing that, sire. Most of what they are 'up to' is surviving that last battle. We hit them just as well as they hit us."

"Speak for yourself, you worthless bucket of bolts. Now find out what they're planning before I have you replaced." Again the call was disconnected before he received a response.

Groaning under his breath, Junior wished that his "dear" wife was around. He needed some way to work off his frustration and he had quickly learned that when it came to Bonnie, a substitute would not do. He decided to work through the stress and keep searching for his missing wife. So, it was time for another call.

"Hench, do you have something to wage war with? The Bebes will be out of commission for months," Junior informed the older man.

"I don't think we have anything to replace Bebes. We have weapons and armor, but nothing like the Bebes, sire," Hench replied.

Junior groaned. "Would you be able to make something?"

"Not in less time than it would take until to the Bebes get back to form. Anything my people come up with will seem crap in comparison and a waste of resources."

"I need an army, Hench. Shego has us right now. If she attacked us, we'd be sitting ducks," Junior pointed out.

"I can't give you what I don't have, highness. Shego stays on the defensive so maybe—" Hench was cut off.

"I do not rely on 'maybes.' Shego could attack and I wish to be prepared. So, do you have something for me or not?" Junior demanded.

"Nothing you desire, highness. Perhaps Doctor Drakken could fulfill your request," Hench offered.

Junior scowled, really not wanting to go with that option. He could only imagine what the good doctor might have. With Drakken it was always something brilliant or ridiculous. There was no middle ground.

"Have you found any sign of Bonnie yet?" Junior inquired.

"Nothing yet, sire."

Junior sighed and ended the transmission. Rubbing his forehead, Junior made one last call to the man who had been with him since almost the beginning. The man whose dream he had stolen and kept close to him because he knew the good doctor was not to be trusted, even more so than everybody else.

"Doctor Drakken," Junior said in an even tone.

"Yes, sire?" Drakken replied with a hint of bitterness in his voice despite the fact that they had been together as they were for over twenty years.

"I need your army," Junior said calmly.

Drakken sputtered. ''I don't – I don't have an army!" he lied horribly even now.

"Doctor, I am well aware that you have an army, so instead of playing stupid or pretending I'm stupid, give me your army," the emperor ordered.

Drakken stammered some more. "Uh … Highness, I really don't have a proper army."

Junior growled again as his brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I know you're been working on an army for decades. Give me your army."

"It's not really an army."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just not an army!" Drakken huffed.

"Then what are you planning to overthrow me with?" Junior demanded.

"It's complicated!"

"Fine then, I'll come see you and you can un-complicate matters for me." The call was disconnected.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego rubbed her face and groaned. She had been looking at facts and figures and it might as well have been ancient Latin. Her hand went from her whole face to just her eyes. Vigorous rubbing of eyes did not make anything make any more sense than it had before.

"I need to get my act together," Shego muttered to herself. She was thankful that Shadow Hand had gone back to his mountain to check on his ninjas. He definitely would have called her on her inability to focus on the smallest detail.

She shuffled some papers around, but that did not really do anything. She tried to start fresh and read new documents, but they made as much sense as the others. She needed to do something to settle her mind.

"Maybe if I do something nice for Kim, it'll help focus me. Get Princess off my mind and get my mind on important things." She sighed, loathing the idea of actually following Hana's advice. After all, her life really could not be that simple and go that easily.

Now, she just had to figure out what nice thing to do for Kim to get the redhead off of her mind. Of course, if it got her on the younger woman's good side that would be a huge plus.

"So, this nice thing has to be really special," Shego whispered and began thinking about what Kim would like.

There were not many things that Kim probably wanted. Shego could not give her the things that really mattered: her parents, her brothers, those twenty years of her life back, and a sense of normalcy. Anything that she had to offer would be superficial.

"But, I have to try," she decided.

In the end, she went with something simple and familiar – Kim's favorite books. It was hell digging them up, considering most of the world's art and literature had been destroyed. So, even though it did not seem like much, it was huge.

"I just hope Princess appreciates the gesture," Shego mumbled.

She figured that she would give the books to Kim during their next sparring session. There was a chance Kim might remember what they had and see the kindness of the gift.

The sparring match went like the others, but at the end Shego did not walk away when Kim could not get up to fight anymore. Shego bent down the hero and could not resist petting Kim's beautiful red mane. Olive eyes glared up at the pale woman, causing Shego to withdraw her hand.

"Hey, Princess, I found some old books I remember you like so I figured you might want them," Shego said as she got up and walked over to a shelf. She retrieved three books before returning to the fallen redhead.

"I don't want your crap!" Kim hollered, flinging the books right back at Shego as soon as the ruler tried to give her the tomes.

Shego's expression dropped. "But, they're your favorites," she actually whimpered.

"You don't know what my favorites are! You don't know me!" Kim hollered as she pushed herself up from the mat. She stormed out of the gym with Bonnie trailing behind her.

Shego's jaw tensed and she gnashed her teeth together. Her chest burned with so many emotions that it hurt her stomach. She feared that she might throw up.

"What are these feelings?" Shego asked herself in a very low tone.

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim, do you think that was a good way to handle that?" Bonnie asked while running after the fleeing Legend.

Kim snorted and did not bother to turn around to acknowledge her friend. She continued on her way until she was at her apartment door. Bonnie followed her inside, but did not follow her as she went into the bathroom for a hot shower. It gave her a chance to clear her head, but she remained upset with Shego.

"How dare she try to act like she knows me!" Kim demanded from the shower spray it seemed. "She thinks she can buy me with some stupid books? I'm not that easy!"

By the time her shower was over, Kim was still in a funk, but that did not last too much longer. She got over it when she saw that Bonnie had taken the time to fix dinner. When she sat across from Bonnie to eat, she felt an odd sense of comfort and familiarity, but also a sense of awkwardness and something was just askew. It was like she often did something similar to this, but somehow extremely different.

"You okay now?" Bonnie asked.

Kim shrugged. "I suppose so. I'm just so pissed that she keeps acting like she knows me. I mean, between all the damned lies and now this? She's trying to miss with my head."

"Are you sure? I mean, she seems to know a lot about those years you can't remember."

Kim twisted her mouth up. "She's just making it up. She more than likely knows that I don't really remember my college years, so it gives her a chance to make crap up!"

"She just seems really sincere."

"She's a practiced liar, Bonnie. She knows how to lie and make it sound like the truth."

Turquoise eyes looked down at the table and Bonnie slowly nodded. Kim sighed. _It's like kicking a puppy just to disagree with her_. Kim reached across the table and took Bonnie's hand.

"Bonnie, I'm not trying to be mean or pick a fight or make you feel bad," Kim assured her, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze.

"I'm not trying to upset you either. I just …" Bonnie shook her head. "I dunno …"

"Don't even think about it anymore. Let's enjoy the food," Kim said with a smile.

Bonnie nodded in agreement. They focused their attention back on the meal. Kim did her best not to think about Shego, but found that a little difficult. She found herself annoyed with Shego because the pale woman would not get out of her head.

Before she could move on, Shego managed to work her way back into Kim's bad side. A servant delivered the books that Shego wanted to give her. Kim frowned as she accepted the gift because she did not want to make life difficult for the servant.

"The nerve of her," Kim grumbled and then she glanced down at the books. While the titles were familiar to her, she could not recall reading them. "I knew she was lying."

That was only the beginning of the gift giving. Kim was not sure what to make of with all of the presents. Every few days, she got something new. Typically, it was something not too big: bath things, foods that she enjoyed, and even movies that she liked. She thought it had to be a trick of some kind, but she could not figure how Shego was trying to trick her. _Is she trying to buy me? To Hell with that!_

Kim made sure to make her emotions known the next time that she saw the western ruler. Her eyes locked on the older woman as she marched into the gym. They were supposed to be sparring, but Kim wanted more than that. She stormed over to Shego and pushed her hard. Shego dropped like a rock, flapping her arms on the way down.

"You can't buy me!" Kim screamed down at the pale woman before reversing course and leaving just as dramatically as when she came in.

-8-8-8-8-

The whole gym was quiet. Shadow Hand twitched as if he was about to go after Kim, but he stopped himself. Everyone else looked everywhere, except at Shego. The raven-haired woman climbed to her feet.

"What the hell was that all about?" Shego wondered aloud.

"You're trying to buy her?" Ryujin asked curiously.

"Not to my knowledge," Shego replied as she scratched the top of head. "What the fuck?"

Shego stomped off, going after Kim. The redhead was long gone, though. The western ruler huffed and scratched the top of her head again. She was not sure what to do with herself.

"Hey, Shego, why are you just standing in the hall?" Trin asked as she walked by.

"I was trying to follow Kimmie, but I lost her. You seen where she went?"

A blond head shook. "I didn't see her. How are things going between you two?"

Shego shrugged. "I'm not sure. Have her memories come back yet?"

"I haven't seen her for a couple of weeks. I do monthly checkups for her now. Have you seen any signs of them coming back?" Trin countered.

Shego sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes, it looks like she remembers and then she closes off. But, even those times are rare."

Trin nodded. "She might be fighting it. She's decided that you're the bad guy over here and you're still the person working for a megalomaniac as far as she's concerned, so anything suggesting otherwise is being blocked out. Keep working on her."

The older woman sighed again and rubbed her forehead. "I've been giving her stuff to try jog her memory. Should I keep doing that?" she asked to be sure. She did not want to harm Kim in any way, after all.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely do that. It should help, just like you talking to her about things. She's right on the brink, Shego."

Shego nodded and found that she actually felt better. She was doing something right and she was helping Kim, even if the petite redhead did not know it. She smiled.

"You're doing all right, Shego. I'll try to get you some help with it," Trin said and she walked off.

-8-8-8-8-

Trin found Shadow Hand before he was able to make himself scarce. She grabbed him by the elbow and directed him to an adjacent, empty room. He went with her, but made his displeasure known when she released him. He folded his arms across his chest and loomed over her, standing extremely close.

"You need to talk to Kim," she ordered.

He grunted. "And why would I do that?" he demanded.

"Because it would do the both of you a world of good. It's not like you don't need the help."

He scoffed. "I don't recall making you my therapist."

"Trust me, I don't want the job. I do want my little sister to be as whole and well as possible. Surely you can appreciate that," she replied.

"Yet you're pointing out that I need this. Why bring me up at all?"

Trin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. Tropical blue eyes drifted away when she put her glasses back on.

"Look, as much as I hate people, you have to know you're not counted as 'people.' You're family. We've all gone through a lot and you now have a chance to bandage a wound. Why let the wound fester?"

"And it would help Kim, right? And we should all go out of our way to help the princess?" he snarled.

"It's not her fault. You think she wanted to lose twenty years of her life? Of your life? You think she wanted to wake up with no memories in a world where damn near everyone is gone and she doesn't have a clue as to what's going on? She didn't ask for any of this!"

"We didn't either!"

"But, we dragged her into this. But, more than that, Kim is that hope we had all lost and thought was gone. You can grab that hope and hold onto it, though. Don't push it away because you're scared it'll abandon you again. Don't punish both of you for what you know has no fault. Or, hell, at least blame Drakken," she said.

He was silent briefly. "I … I can't."

"Can't? Forgive her for leaving?"

He shook his head. "Forgive myself. So, how could she? She wouldn't want to know this person. It's better this way."

"What? You did what you had to do there. She would understand."

He openly and loudly scoffed. "Like she understands Shego?"

He vanished before Trin could say anything more. That was fine since she had no idea what to say to him since he had a point. Still, it would probably be in his best interest to just talk with Kim and get it out of the way. But, that would have to be his decision.

"This is why I don't deal with people," Trin sighed and decided to go back to her lab, away from the drama. She did make a stop to see Kim and spend sometime with her little sister while she had the chance.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Drakken's so-called army. Another Paladin wakes up while Shego goes out of her mind.


	33. 3:7: Newcomers

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.7: Newcomers

Junior had to go see Drakken. It was not something he enjoyed, but he needed an army and Drakken had what he needed. Or so he believed, anyway. Drakken had been odd on the phone. He had admitted to creating an army, but would not confess to having one. He tried to explain, but only sounded like the crazy man he was. Junior decided to go see him just because Drakken was giving him a headache, which was far from usual. So, now he was on his way to the most godforsaken place in all of his empire.

"This better be worth it," Junior sighed as he came to his destination, Doctor Drakken's office.

Drakken's office was very large and gave off the feel of being endless. There were bookshelves filled with lost texts; books that Drakken had deemed worthy enough to survive his mass burning and all around destruction. He was the sole judge of intellect in his domain and only he decided what was worth reading, discussing, and even thinking about. Junior was somewhat amused by Drakken's intellectual tyranny.

"Emperor, I trust your trip here went well."

The sound of Drakken's false greeting drew Junior's attention to the front of the room. Drakken was crouched over in his wheelchair as usual, looking like the cranky old man he was, complete with a blanket over his lap and a deep scowl on his long face. Junior found it funny that really the only things that changed about Drakken were his hair color, which was totally white now, and the fact his mind was in sharp … he would not call it decline, but probably decay. He suspected that Drakken had gone mad with power. He was still as smart as he had been twenty years ago, but much more demented.

"I am here, Drakken. Now, wow me and explain how you have an army, but don't have an army," Junior demanded with a sigh. It took patience that he did not have to deal with Drakken. It did not help that he could not relax around Drakken or something completely off the wall would happen.

Drakken scowled even more deeply than he had been before. "How do you even know about it?" he huffed.

Junior rolled his eyes. "I know about everything in my realm," he replied dully. It was things outside of his empire that were beyond his purview, which was quite annoying.

Beady black eyes rolled. "If that were the case you'd know why I do and don't have an army," the old man grumbled. His words were not meant for Junior's ears, but the emperor heard anyway.

Junior decided to ignore the bitter scientist. Sometimes, it was the best way to go with Drakken, especially if Junior wanted to get back to his own business before the day was done. He could not give the doctor an ear to rant to. _How Shego stayed with him for so long without slaying him belied her true emotions. God, I wish Dementor had agreed to work for me_.

While Junior thought of ways to end Drakken and countered those with reasons why he had to let the scientist live, Drakken moved closer to his diamond-encrusted desk and pushed a button that brought down a large monitor is front of his wall. A picture of Drakken's lab came up, but quickly changed to some piece darker.

"What is that?" Junior wondered aloud as he squinted at the screen. It seemed like a blob in a jar.

"This is the start of my army. What you're looking has been growing for the last three months," Drakken explained.

Junior nodded. "And how many are like this?"

"Most of them. They have a ridiculously long maturation period. They grow slowly. I have no way of increasing growth without the damned things breaking down, so it's been slow going."

"And when were you going to inform me of your little side project, doctor?"

Drakken frowned. "I was going to!" he insisted.

"Yes, right after you had enough of these things to take on the Bebes," Junior remarked dryly.

The old man growled. "I was working on it. It's not perfect. As it stands, only two are even ready to go to war."

"Show me those two."

Drakken's frown returned due to the order, but he complied. The picture shifted and then it was Junior's turn to frown. He folded his hands over his chest and studied the picture before speaking.

"Doctor, what do you expect me to do with two teenage girls?" Junior asked with a sigh. He honestly expected Drakken to have an army of Tri-Acids. That would have made much more sense than he was looking at, but Drakken was of the mind that his precious Tri-Acid was special, unique, and his beloved son that he could never make another. Reasoning like that was why Junior was certain that the poor old man's mind had rotted from the inside out.

"Are you kidding? Isn't it obvious that a teenage girl is the most dangerous thing on Earth? Who used to defeat us all of the time? A teenage girl is who! And the only challenge that she ever had was from a slightly older version of herself with a nastier attitude!" Drakken pointed out. "Hell, that is still the case almost!"

Junior snarled and grabbed the old man by the throat. "I will never be defeated! I will take this whole world in the name of my father! Do you understand?" he demanded while tightening his hold.

Drakken gagged as he attempted to respond. Nothing came out except for a hissing sound, like a choking crocodile. The cerulean face began transforming a deep crimson. He ended up nodding and that was when Junior let him go.

"Now, you were explaining," Junior snorted.

"Again, these are the only two that are ready for use and the second is barely ready. Not even a teenager yet," Drakken informed the leader.

"Is that how you count when they're ready?"

"As I said, the most dangerous on Earth is a teenage girl. The second isn't even close really. I lost quite a few in between the first and the second. I'm getting better at the process, but the growth still the main problem. It takes so long," the doctor complained.

Junior nodded. "I'll get Hench's people to help you out. Tell me more about them."

Drakken actually beamed at the order to practically rant. Junior sighed again, but made sure to pay attention. After all, Drakken had the answer to his army problem until he was sure about Vivian and the Hive was working again. Still, he would have preferred an army of Tri-Acid, even though "Adam Lipsky" was loyal to Drakken above all others. At least Tri-Acid could offer Shego a challenge. He doubted Drakken's "most dangerous thing on Earth" would do much, but it was all he had.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego frowned as she tried to make sense of the report that she was looking at. Of course, the words appeared to be a foreign language to her. Her concentration was shot once again.

She was glad that Shadow Hand was not around to see her slipshod leadership. She was responsible for millions of lives and could not focus on them. Making matters worse, her short attention span was for such a silly, juvenile reason; she was worried if Kim would accept her most recent gift. It was a small token, a box of hot chocolate from the coffee shop that they used to visit. Well, actually, she had the box and packing made to look like if came from that coffee shop since the place had gone extinct over a dozen years ago.

She waited with gut-churning anticipation to find out how the present was received. She wanted to know if it brought back memories and if she was finally free of the accursed cold shoulder and deadly evil eye. The more time that passed made her more aware that she was getting the usual answer to her prayers: No.

Her scowl deepened and the words only got worse. Her mind wandered to other gifts and nice things that she could do for Kim rather than focusing on defending of the nation, making sure each province had proper medical supplies, or a million other things. Her duties all took a backseat to Kim.

"Why am I acting like this?" she grumbled under her breath to avoid being heard. "Why does my damn life suddenly revolve around her?"

She quickly conceded that it could be argued that it was not "suddenly" that her life revolved around Kim. Her entire adult life had revolved around Kim in some way, shape, or form. Working with Drakken had given her the chance to meet and battle Kim until it became her favorite past time. Back then, she woke up in the morning to wage war with Kim Possible, the one and only thing to stir her warrior blood beyond her mother. She never realized what a big part of her that was until Kim.

"Kim is the reason I train hard enough to be able to fight, especially fight against Junior. So, she just better fucking appreciate what the fuck I am doing," Shego grumbled aloud.

No one in the Dark Room said anything, even though they could hear her mumbling to herself. Shego was oblivious to it until Wade was standing in front her, giving her an odd look.

"What do you want, Load? I didn't summon you," Shego sneered.

"No, you didn't, but here I am, anyway. I was going to speak to you through the comm, but when I opened the line I heard you mumbling to yourself like the crazy person you are," Wade replied quite seriously.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion."

"You'd never do that, which is why it was freely offered. Now, do you think you could find your mind and govern the country a little bit?"

Shego motioned down to all of the papers in front of her. "What the hell do you think I'm doing?" she huffed.

"Looking at a pile of paper while getting lost in your head," he countered with an eye roll. "Believe it not, we need the leader of the free world with her head in the game. So, stop talking to yourself and seriously get to work or I'll send Amy in here to motivate you."

Shego growled under her breath. "I am working!" she roared. A small jade flare shot out of her nose.

"This is not working." He flicked his hand toward the shattered papers.

"You're not working either!"

"Really, Shego? Next, you'll be saying 'I know you are, but what am I?' Is this what you've come to? What the hell are you doing, Shego?" he begged to know, wrinkling his forehead with concern. His eyes shined with care and distress.

"I'm trying to fucking work, Wade! So, why don't you just leave me to it! Shit, I've been doing this shit for years, so I think I know how to do my goddamn job!" she snarled and slammed her fist on her desk. _I don't fucking need his pity!_ "I don't need you checking up on me!"

"You need something obviously!"

"I need you to get out my damn face and you to go do your own work! I don't know when you all got this idea that my mind, my personal life, or anything are any of your business, but they're not. I didn't ask for your fucking opinion, so stop offering it and go do you own work!"

He frowned deeply. "Shego –" She cut him off swiftly.

"I don't want to hear it! Get out!" She pointed to the door so quickly that her arm actually made a snap noise.

Wade gave her a look as if he was worried that she had broken her arm or lost her mind. Of course, the arm would heal if she had broken it. Her mind, on the other hand, might be gone and lost forever. He did not inquire about either and wisely exited without further word. She did not feel any better with him gone.

Sighing, she put her hand through her lush hair and did her best to prove Wade wrong. She turned her attention to her work and intended to do … something. She did not know where to begin.

"I need to get my head together. I never should have listened to damn Hana. God, the damn relationship she was talking about was over fifteen years ago," she sighed again and shook her head.

She knew that she was using Hana as scapegoat. She could still be going through things with Kim because Trin told her that all of the "reminder gifts" were helping the petite redhead. She hated that she would keep on doing such things until Kim remembered.

"Yup, lost my mind," she admitted. _Damn, Wade was right_.

-8-8-8-8-

"She's losing her mind," Wade declared.

"Who, Tatsu?" Trin asked as her wife was the only female Wade was constantly around that the blond cared about.

"No, not Tatsu!" he huffed and paused for a thoughtful moment. "I can't even imagine how Tatsu would look if she were out of her mind. It would probably be the same."

The blond shrugged. "Probably. She might scowl more."

"Either way, not her. I'm talking about Shego. She's lost her mind. She was talking to herself earlier. She's not focusing on work. She's got Kim on the brain. Can't you talk to Kim and get her to talk to Shego?" he inquired.

Blue eyes rolled. "Kim still isn't even sure if I'm serious or brainwashed when it comes to Shego, so she's not likely to take anything I say on the matter seriously," she reminded him in a calm tone, even though her heart clenched a bit. She was silent briefly before adding, "She doesn't trust me much."

He arched an eyebrow. "She doesn't trust you? But, you're her big sister!"

"I know, but I also follow Shego. She seems to think that Shego is evil, even though she does recognize that Junior is the devil. You do know she doesn't entirely trust you either."

Wade's face fell. "What do you mean she doesn't trust me?" he asked incredulously.

"She's suspicious of all of us who willingly follow Shego. She thinks Shego is evil," Trin explained blandly. She even waved it off.

"Well, we need to do something because Shego's losing her mind. She needs help. She's not working, just sitting in her chair and musing about Kim. She's got Kim on the brain. Can you at least talk to Shego?"

Trin sighed. "Must I?"

"Somebody has to talk to her and she doesn't want to listen to me!"

"Cursed you out," the blond gathered.

"Several times."

"That's an annoyed expectation. What makes you think she'll listen to me? She'll curse me out just the same as you. In fact, doesn't she like you more then she likes me? And, of course, don't you like her more than I do?" she pointed out dully.

Wade scratched his head. "It's not about who she likes more or who likes her more. It's about keeping our cause going. She's not working. If Junior attacked today, we'd be screwed! She's _that_ spaced."

A blond eyebrow arched. "And what makes you think I'm qualified to speak to her and get though to her?"

"She respects you and she listens to you. Sure, she'll throw shit at you and scream and whatever, but she'll take it into account. So, go talk to her," he demanded.

Trin just stared at him for a long while. She truly did not want to speak with Shego. Shego could be such a child with things, especially with things that she did not want to hear. It did not help that she really did not want to step into Shego's love life, or desire for a love life.

"She's not going to listen. I already told her that she should keep doing what she's doing, though," Trin admitted.

He craned an eyebrow to that. "Doing?"

"She's been trying to jog Kim's memory, so she's been giving her presents to try to remind her of her time after high school. It's not working. Kim just thinks that Shego is trying to buy her loyalty or something," Trin explained.

Wade frowned. "Why the hell is Kim being so damned difficult?"

"You know why. While she's finally fine physically, she's still not quite here mentally and emotionally. She was pulled almost twenty-five years into the future as far as she's concerned."

Wade snorted. "It's been almost a year!"

"Yeah, and in that time she was coddled by us for a month and then she was out wandering the globe on her own. She's got to be stable, which she is now. Until everything comes back to her and she's totally comfortable with us, she's not going to be the same Kim and it's only going to bother us all the more."

"So … you'll talk to Kim?" he asked.

"I'll talk to Shego. Might be easier."

Wade nodded and smiled. Blue eyes rolled. She was not even sure what she would say to Shego.

-8-8-8-8-

Trin stood before Shego, both frowning at each other. Trin could see what Wade was going on about. There were papers all about her desk, stacked high and clearly untouched. Her tablet was nowhere insight and that was typically her way of keeping up with current events around Kimber.

"Shego, what are you doing? You can't forsake work just because you're upset over Kim," Trin stated.

"I'm not forsaking anything. I'm just … I'm …" Shego growled. "I'm getting work done!"

"What work?" Trin reached at a flipped through a pile of untouched paper. "This stack? Or maybe this stack?" She flipped through a couple of other stacks. "Or maybe this one full of pristine, unwrinkled paper. Just tell me which one you're getting done."

"Hey, I don't answer to you!" Shego expectantly roared.

"No, you don't, but you do work to keep millions of people alive and you really need to continue doing that."

"Kim needs me, too. She's not a whole person without the rest of her memories. We woke her up, so we have a responsibility to her, just like we do to everyone else."

"Shego, let's be serious. This is as much about you as it is about her. You want her to like you again and you're willing to forsake everything to get that. You can't just drop everything for Kim and think it's all right."

The emerald glare was not a surprise. Trin decided that the moment Shego threw something, she was leaving and allowing the leader to drown in her own shit. _Fuck Shego_.

"I'm not dropping everything. I'll get to it soon," the older woman vowed.

"Soon? Before this century is over? Before Junior wins?"

"Junior will not win!" Shego slammed her fist against her desk.

"Yes, he will, if you keep acting like a goddamn love-sick teenager. Look, what you want to do with yourself is on you. So, by all means, sit here and play around. Maybe before Junior has you fitted with an obedience collar or whatever the fuck he has prepared for you, he'll let you touch Kim. It'll be your last precious bit of freewill."

Trin turned and stormed out. She doubted that she got through to Shego. The plasma-wielder was too far gone on Kim. Shego needed one thing from her old life, one thing she wanted. Shego would not stop until she got what she wanted. _But, what lengths will she go to? Is this now an obsession?_ If it was an obsession, they were all in trouble.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was on her way to the Basement. She had to use the Toltec or he would go stale, or that was actually a joke from the giant bucket of bolts. Unfortunately, she had to bring her recent shadow – Bonnie – with her at the battered woman's insistence. Bonnie disliked being alone, which Kim could understand. She just hoped that she did not get into any trouble for having Bonnie in a restricted area.

"Where are we going?" Bonnie asked.

"I have to take care of some business. It'll take a couple of hours at the least, all day at the most. If you want, we can go find Ryujin or Jessie or Hana if you want to hang out with them," Kim proposed for about the third time. She knew Bonnie would not go for it, just like the last two times. While they hung out with all of those people and Joss, who was away on assignment, Bonnie was wary of them because she was aware that that they were all stronger than she was, which frightened her. They were also only new friends and Bonnie did not trust them entirely. They were fine in small doses for Bonnie, but they were not people that she wanted to be with all day.

"I'm okay. I can wait for you," Bonnie answered.

Kim nodded, expecting that answer. She continued on with Bonnie somewhat at her side and somewhat behind her. Kim knew Bonnie was trying to figure her place with Kim and her walking position showed that she literally did not know where she stood.

They entered the Basement and Kim went right to the door that kept the Paladins hidden. She gained entry, having the password; Bonnie was right behind her. She walked over to the armor and found Tatsu working on one of the non-working suits. Tatsu looked up and arched an eyebrow to the duo. Bonnie ducked behind Kim.

"Hey, Tatsu, I'm here to take the whiny Toltec out to play," Kim remarked, ignoring Tatsu's look.

"I have a monotone voice, Kim, and, therefore, cannot whine," the Toltec objected.

"You're whining right now," the redhead pointed out.

"Kim, you can't just bring whoever you want in here. I don't even bring Trin in here," Tatsu said, almost glaring at the hero.

Kim winced. "Why? It's not like you're doing anything super top-secret, anymore. But, I'm sorry. It's just …" Kim stepped closer to Tatsu and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Bonnie's really scared by herself. She doesn't want to be alone, but she only trusts me so far."

"Doesn't excuse this. If Wade comes in, he'll lose his mind. This is totally unacceptable," Tatsu replied with a frown.

"Wade wouldn't be too angry," Kim argued. _Well, I don't think he would be. Who knows, though. They all follow Shego, so they can't be exactly how I remember. The twins didn't trust her enough to stay_.

Tatsu grunted. "This isn't just any regular place, Kim. You know that. I've trusted you with entry, but that doesn't mean anyone with you down here."

They would have gone back and forth with each other, but they were silenced by a voice. It was an unfamiliar voice and sounded similar to the Toltec's … without the increasingly sarcastic tone the Toltec was developing.

"You are new to this area," the voice commented and it was not directed to the two arguing women.

Bonnie blinked. "You talk?" she asked the Paladin that she was standing in front of. It was a yellow and black suit.

"I do. You respond." Apparently, the suits picked up on being smart-alecks faster than the Toltec would lead them to believe.

Tatsu's mouth dropped open for a second and then she threw her hands up. "Is this what we have to do to get these damned things going? Just parade people through here until a Paladin talks to one of them?" she wondered aloud.

"I am interested in this new person, creator. The Toltec has shared data with us all from it's operator, including information on it's operator's friends and this one intrigues me," the suit replied.

"And you think she can or will operate you? She's not a fighter," Tatsu pointed out with a snort.

"I am more than a weapon."

"I know." Tatsu sighed. "What makes you think Bonnie wants to operate you, Qin?"

"She wants to help bring down Junior as much as anyone else around here if the Toltec's information is accurate. I can help her and she can help you. She can train. The Toltec's operator trained. It can be done," the suit reasoned.

"You can't just drag non-combatants into war because they interest you," Tatsu argued.

"The Toltec did."

Tatsu snorted again. "Kim Possible is far from a non-combatant."

"She had never operated the Toltec, though."

Tatsu growled and slapped herself in the head. "I'm having an argument with a damned AI. What the hell?"

"Don't worry. You don't look crazy to us," Kim remarked honestly. After all, how many times had she been in such a situation with the Toltec?

"Bonnie Rockwaller, you would like to help fight the war on Junior?" the Qin asked.

Bonnie blinked, stunned from the look in her wide eyes. "Me? Take on Junior?" she said as if such a thing was completely impossible.

"You could if you learned to operate the Qin. It turned itself on for you, which with these things is a small miracle." Tatsu sighed while motioning to the Qin with a flick of her hand.

"I will accept this operator and fulfill our purpose," the Qin declared.

"You can't accept an operator that didn't offer to help," Tatsu pointed out. "These things are like having children," she muttered.

"Bonnie Rockwaller, would you consider operating me to fight against the terror that is Señor Senior Junior?" the Qin requested.

"I … I don't … know …" Bonnie replied in a low mumble. "I mean, I don't even know what's going on."

"Use me to fight your nightmare, the world's nightmare. I am useless where I am. Help me and let me help you," the Paladin said.

"It is true," the Toltec chimed in.

"Tatsu, isn't it on you to decide?" Kim asked with a smirk.

Tatsu sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She went to her kimmunicator and a mumbled argument ensued. Tatsu paced the room as she spoke. The muttering got worse as the pacing picked up. After some tense moments, the door to the room burst open.

"Tatsu, what the hell, man?" Wade screamed as he stormed in and went right to the middle-aged woman.

"It's not my fault!" Tatsu replied.

"What do you mean if it's not your fault? You were down here!"

"And?" Tatsu asked curiously. "I don't control who comes through that door with people who already have access."

Wade growled, but seemed to concede the point to Tatsu. He turned to Kim and actually glared at the redhead. Olive eyes blinked in surprise.

"Kim, you can't bring Bonnie of all goddamn people into as secret testing site! Do you have any goddamn idea how reckless that is? Even if she's not a fucking spy, she could unknowingly be bugged or something! This kind of shit could get us all killed! Do you know how many lives you put in danger?" Wade hollered.

"Sorry, Wade. I didn't think it'd be such a big deal," Kim apologized, shrinking a little. Bonnie practically disappeared behind her.

"Everything is a big deal. We're at war with an evil son of a bitch who'd do anything to take over the world, including bug his wife! This isn't some fucking game!"

"Wade, calm down," Tatsu said. "What's done is done. Getting pissed isn't helping. Besides, the Qin took a liking to Bonnie."

"She should be my operator," the Qin declared.

Wade blinked. "What? The Qin is online and functioning?"

"And requesting Bonnie as an operator. What do you think?" Tatsu asked.

His cocoa brow wrinkled. "We can't put a novice in that machine."

"Uh … everyone's a novice in the Paladins," Tatsu pointed out. "Hell, before this they weren't even turning on for operators."

"You sound like you want this," Wade noted.

"I want the suits to be used. They could be the deciding factor in this war. We have to do something. Maybe something no one would expect like this," she pointed out.

Wade sighed. "We need to run this by Shego. This could be a disaster."

"Or it could work." Tatsu shrugged. "Bonnie, you game for being a warrior?"

"Uh … I don't know what to do," Bonnie whispered.

Tatsu shrugged again. "You can learn. Kim learned."

Bonnie did not respond to that. Wade tried calling Shego, but apparently she was still upset with him because she was not answering. She had him blocked, so he could not just open a communication channel. Wade frowned after finally giving up on Shego.

"I can't get an answer," Wade sighed.

"Then it's your call," Tatsu told him.

"My call?" he echoed.

"Yeah, you're the one with regular combat experience and leadership experience. So, what do you think?"

"Use me," the Qin requested.

Wade swallowed hard. "Bonnie, do you think you could?"

"It'll give you a chance to face down Junior in someway, face your fear and show him how strong you've become," Kim pointed out.

Bonnie nodded. "… I can try …" she whimpered.

"I'll walk you through the simple parts," Tatsu offered, motioning for Bonnie to step over to her laptop. Kim was going to follow, but Wade stopped her.

"This might have worked out for you, but you can't be this reckless. You could cost lives. This isn't some game and you can't play around. You might not trust us, but the rest of this country does and if you're going to be this disrespectful to us, you might as well join the Rebels," Wade told her.

Kim frowned. ''I didn't mean any disrespect. Bonnie is scared of being left alone and she only trusts me. I'm sorry. I wouldn't just bring anyone down here. Bonnie's not a threat."

"Says who?" Wade demanded.

"Says your fearless leader," Kim informed.

Wade scoffed and rolled his eyes. He did not say anything, though. He turned and walked away. Kim wondered what caused his reaction, but she did not ask because he was so angry. Instead, she turned to Bonnie and Tatsu to work out how Bonnie would begin working at with the Qin. Hopefully, it would give them an edge over Junior.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Bonnie's training begins. Shadow Hands has a talk with an unlikely voice of reason. Kim reacts to Shego's latest gifts and Shego reacts to that reaction.


	34. 3:8: Eruption

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.8: Eruption

Junior sighed as he flipped through reports from Drakken. The scientist was keeping him up to date on their "army" and the only two working components of the army. The limitations made Junior have to consider other ways to use Drakken's weapons along with the other items that he had at his disposal.

"My home should be back up soon, so materials can go back to making Bebes. I'll get as many of those out of Doctor Porter before seeing where her loyalties lie. Hopefully, she has her problems under control. I'll pair her up with Hench and see what happens when they put their two sets of armor together."

In all honesty, Junior trusted Vivian's armor, even if he was having trouble trusting her. She was the one that designed his armor, after all. His armor had saved his life many times over the years and had helped him end plenty of lives over the years since it had a few offensive secrets. He hoped that she and Hench's people could come up with something as effective on short notice.

"I don't want her to do something better than my armor, though," he decided.

No one could have anything better than what he had, especially abominations made by Doctor Drakken. _I'll have to watch those things_, he reminded himself. No one could predict anything that Drakken cooked up. There was an equal chance that it could be the greatest thing ever or the worst atrocity to ever see the light of day.

"I'll give him the time to correct any mistakes while Hench and Doctor Porter come up with something," he figured and he dialed for both of them to get the ball rolling. "Hench, Doctor Porter, this is a conference call," he informed them.

"Yes, Emperor. What do you want of us?" Hench inquired.

"I need the two of you to work together on armor and weapons to outfit an army that Doctor Drakken is developing for me," Junior stated.

"I still need to get the Hive online," Vivian pointed out.

"There will be time for that. You can work on the design, but Hench's people will do the manufacturing and you can carry on with the Hive. You need to come up with something that could face off with Shego and her goons as well as contend with that giant robot. You have two months," the Emperor informed them.

"Two months to develop it or two months to develop and to design the whole thing?" Hench asked curiously.

"Two months in total. I want to take Shego on while she's still recovery and thinks she has the upper hand. We have a chance to use her own momentum against her. So, let's get to it," Junior commanded.

"Should we contact Drakken for any specifications and if so, will he be cooperative or can we expect the usual whininess and crying that he brings to the table?" Hench inquired.

"I will not work with that man if it's going to be the same crap," Vivian proclaimed.

"I will speak with Drakken to make sure he cooperates with anything you need and you will need to speak with him for the specs of the armor. He'll bring you up to speed on his army. Work with him and let me know if he starts acting up," Junior told them.

Both loyal servants could be heard to sigh. Their annoyance was one of the few things that Junior could empathize with. Of course, that did not change anything.

"This is your new top priority," Junior stated.

"What about locating your wife, highness?" Hench asked.

"Vivian, can you spare a couple more Bebes?" Junior asked.

''They are yours, Emperor,'' she answered.

Junior nodded. "That they are, but you're using them to repair the Hive. The Hive does need to be back online or we won't have any more to continue the fight." Of course, if Drakken's crazy scheme and army worked out, the Bebes would be unnecessary. ''So, how many can you spare without the repairs being negatively affected?"

"A few. I'll send them to you immediately," Vivian replied.

''Very good. Any matters that you two need addressed?" the Emperor asked.

"No, highness. I have worked with the good doctor before. We know how to get work done," the former businessman answered. "The good doctor" being Vivian, of course, as no one in his right mind would refer to Drakken as such, even if being sarcastic.

"Good. Get to it then," Junior ordered and he disconnected the communication. He then cracked his knuckles and stared ahead, focusing on the wall. Recently, he had had the space covered because he swore it looked like Bonnie. He thought covering it would stop those thoughts. He was wrong.

Bonnie was always at the back of his mind. Until he got her back, she won. He refused to lose to anyone, especially his wife. He controlled her, he made her pay for what she did to his father, and he would not let her have a happy moment if his father could not. She did not deserve anything that he did not give her – pain or pleasure.

''If she's dead, I'll kill whoever took her from me. And if she's not dead, she'll wish she were when I get her back here. If she's smart, she killed herself," Junior muttered to himself.

Briefly, he considered what he would do to Bonnie once he got her back. His eyes fluttered close and he licked his lips, moaning at some of the thoughts. Shaking his head, he realized that he was getting ahead of himself. He had to get her back first and foremost.

"How could she have escaped the Desert?" he wondered with a growl.

He knew that more often than not most people escaped thanks to the very annoying Rebels. He could not imagine that happening with Bonnie. The Rebels knew that she was his wife and he made sure that they thought she was important.

"Obviously she's more important than I gave her credit for," he growled and punched his desk. Thankfully, the desk survived.

His forehead wrinkled as he thought more on it, despite trying to put it out of his head. His fingers tapped against the wood of his desk, itching to touch Bonnie.

"I've got to get her back!" he hollered. If anyone heard him, they wisely stayed away.

-8-8-8-8-

''I can't do this!" Bonnie cried from inside the Qin. Kim and the Toltec were pushing her back. They were training in the Hanger with Wade monitoring them and their Paladins.

"Bonnie, just stay calm," Kim said as she backed off. She felt somewhat like an ass for making Bonnie cry, but they needed Bonnie to toughen up if she truly wanted to battle against Junior.

"I can't! I'm too scared!" Bonnie replied. She probably would have curled up into a little ball if the Paladin had the room for it.

''Why are you scared? You've been through much worse," the Qin pointed out.

"Wha-what?" Bonnie's voice shook.

"Why are you scared when you've been through so much worse? If you were as scared as you say, you'd have given up and died a long time ago. You are a fighter, Bonnie Rockwaller. Kim Possible said so," the Qin proclaimed.

"Kim, you said that?" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"Of course. You are a fighter. Junior tried to break you in every way possible and you just kept coming back. You didn't accept the fate that Junior had for you. You lived and you escaped the moment you could. You're strong, Bonnie. You just have to believe it," Kim stated in a sincere voice that could embolden the most beleaguered soul.

"I … I … I don't know how," Bonnie whimpered.

"Hmm …" Kim thought on things for a moment. "After this, we'll hit the gym and train your mind and your body. For right now, just get comfortable in the Qin and follow the Toltec."

"O … okay," Bonnie replied.

The training pressed on for an hour. Bonnie seemed to get the hang of the basic operations of the Qin. She could move the Paladin enough that Kim was confident that they could begin more complex moves, including simple fighting techniques.

"We'll have you kicking Junior's butt in no time," Kim declared as they exited their Paladins.

''You think so?" Bonnie asked timidly.

"I truly do. We just need to get your confidence back up," Kim proclaimed with a grin.

Bonnie grimaced. "It's been a long time since I had the confidence that you're remembering."

Kim waved that off. "Your unique brand of fortitude and attitude is still there, Bonnie. I can see it in your eyes. It's part of the reason you're standing here today and why you're willing to pilot the Qin."

"Are you really going to let me pilot that?" Bonnie asked, speaking to Wade and Tatsu. Tatsu shrugged while Wade opted to use his words.

"It's either you pilot it or it sits down here collecting dust," Wade answered with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie inquired.

"Beyond sure. It does me proud to see the damn thing moving. If we take time with you, I'm sure we could send you out if you want to go. Anything that will help bring this damn war to an end is worth a shot," Wade stated.

Bonnie smiled a bit. "I want to help bring that son of a bitch down," she proclaimed.

"Then we need to get you into fighting shape," Kim said. ''So, come on. We'll go work out and work on that confidence."

Bonnie nodded and walked off with the enthused redhead. They went to the gym that they were most familiar with – Shego's personal gym. It was the best place to start basic exercises as for as Kim was concerned. Shego was not there, which was great for Kim considering she was stewing over the idea that Shego was trying to buy her loyalty with odd gifts.

The gym was not empty, though. The pair caught a glimpse of Shadow Hand moving on the open mat with his sword in his hand. He seemed to literally vanish as soon as they showed up, though.

"The ninjas know real magic?" Bonnie asked curiously. She had seen enough of it watching Kim spar with Ryujin and Shadow Eyes.

"Ryujin explains it as them knowing advanced techniques in their style. So, all of the ninjas don't know it, but it is magic as far as I can tell. No one's told me otherwise," Kim replied.

Bonnie scratched the top of her head. ''Why can't they just use their magic to beat Junior?"

"Well, I don't really know. Ryujin is really the only ninja that I talk to enough to learn more about them. He told me that a few times, he, Hana, and Shadow Hand had tried to do something like that, but Junior just overwhelmed them with Bebes. That seems to be the thing. Junior can throw hundreds to thousands of robots at them and just crush them."

Bonnie nodded and they got down to business. Kim went with something that she felt Bonnie was familiar with and comfortable with. The workout was similar to what they had done as cheerleaders. Bonnie smiled as they moved.

"You know, until escaping and coming here, high school was the best time of my life. How sad is that?" Bonnie asked.

The redhead chuckled. "Mine, too. But, don't think about it anymore. Your life is going to get better now," she promised.

Bonnie continued to smile. They worked out and they were both surprised by Bonnie's stamina. While she was not able to train as long as she had as a teen, she definitely lasted longer than one would expect of a forty year old.

-8-8-8-8-

"Are you aware that your gym is in use?" Shadow Hand asked, standing behind Shego.

Shego did not seem to hear him, so he repeated his question and got acknowledgement then. "My gym? Who's in my gym?" she inquired with a wrinkled brow.

"The spoiled, entitled brat that you insist on babying," he grunted.

"She's not a brat and she can use my gym if she wants," she replied in a drastic tone as she flipped through a few papers, as if making a show of working.

"You need to give her limits or she'll just do something stupid again," he argued.

"She'll do something stupid the second I try to give her limits."

''Well, she can't just run shot over the place!"

"What the hell is your problem? Crying because she's in the gym while you wanted to be in there? Boo-hoo!" she snorted. "Why don't you go find something better to do with your time?"

Shadow Hand glared at her; she could feel his heated gaze on the back of her head. She ignored him and was not surprised that he left. She smiled because now she could get back to what she felt was important – working on her next gift for Kim.

"Maybe if she sees some things that she remembers with some things that she doesn't remember, it might help her memory," Shego pondered and then shook her head. Sniffling, she threw her arms out and roughly cleared her desk. "Nothing works. Nothing ever works …" she snarled.

-8-8-8-8-

Shadow Hand ended up outside in one of the deserted gardens around the Obsidian Manor. He removed his sword from the sheath on his back and continued with his exercises there. He had considered going home, but he preferred being close to Shego just in case. He would only go home if she gave him permission.

"Hana, I don't like being spied on," Shadow Hand commented as he kept up his motions.

Hana giggled and dropped down out of a tree. She watched her fearless leader silently for the moment. He knew that would not last long.

''So, what happened to working out in the gym?" she asked with that amused sparkle in her eyes that pissed everyone off.

"I decided I needed some fresh air," he answered with a grunt.

"Fresh air or air clear of Kim Possible?" she inquired with a smirk.

He growled. "It has nothing to do with her. I just wanted to be outside," he lied.

"I don't believe you," she replied in a sing-song voice.

"What you do and don't believe doesn't mean anything."

''Of course it does! I don't see why you have all of this animosity toward Kim. When I was little, you always told me great stories about her and from what I can see, you were right. She's a great person and she actually needs your help and support. I don't understand why you're not giving it to her," Hana said in a soft tone.

"I don't expect you or anyone else to understand. You all seem to think Kim hung the moon in the sky and forget how easily we lost her," he replied and his voice went low in the end.

''How easily we lost her or how easily you lost her? What happened wasn't your fault. It was all Drakken. He was the one that tried to take out Shego and he was the idiot that built his lair on an active volcano."

He snorted and from the movement of his mask, it was clear that he was scowling. "I know who did what. I don't need you going over the details. I don't need you trying to butt into my business neither. So, just leave me alone and let me get back to my exercises."

"No can do. It's in my job description to be annoying. So, I'm gonna be annoying. I'm worried about you and your sudden hatred of someone you love."

He turned and looked up briefly. "I don't hate her. I just don't think we should be letting her run around and play hero like she used to. This is a totally different time and it's way more dangerous than anything she ever faced."

"She's handling it well, especially after her little misadventure in her first battle. She's part of the reason we won that battle in Jannika. She's adapting, you have to give her credit for that."

"We would've handled that with or without her. We've done it for twenty years," he pointed out.

"She helped. Why don't you want to give her credit? Talk to me, man. I know you don't worry about women in combat like some of our dumber soldiers used to. I don't get why you're so against Kim. So, what's the problem?"

He snorted again and waved her off now. "It's none of your concern."

She threw her hands up. "That's a load of bullshit! I know how you feel about her and you acting this way isn't helping. Besides, being nice to Kim and revealing yourself to her could help her. She's grasping at straws here, man. I mean, you told me all about how Bonnie treated Kim in high school and Kim is treating Bonnie like her best friend now. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, especially since Bonnie damn sure needs someone to be there for her, but Kim was so welcoming to Bonnie because she doesn't have anyone else. Kim deserves to have somebody there for her."

"She has her sister and Wade," he argued with another grunt. He folded his arms across his chest.

''Wade, who is almost as hard on her and as overprotective as you, and Trin, who is almost as emotionally unavailable as you. So far the only person I've seen take to Kim as if everything was all right is Joss and we all know that Joss isn't stable enough to stabilize anyone else. But, I will say that being around Kim has done Joss a world of good."

"And you think if I hang out with Kim, it'll do me a world of good," he gathered with a scoff and turned away from her, as if just having his back to her was an escape.

"I'm sure it will!" she declared and her eyes sparkled again as she moved back into his line of sight. That was a sparkle of happiness, which was rare in the impish ninja.

''You don't even know what's going on," he pointed out.

"Then talk to me! Help me understand why you're acting this way! Why are you intentionally hurting her and yourself?" she begged, dark eyes shining in earnest and with sorrow.

"It's none of your concern."

Hana threw her hands up again and huffed. "You're my concern! Everything about you is my concern, especially when you're obviously tormented! You're all twisted and torn up about this and I want you to feel better!"

"You're troubling yourself over nothing," he dismissed her worry in a bored voice.

''I wish that was the case and I wish you could get rid of me that easily. So, talk to me. Tell me what's the problem with Kim. Why are you acting like her returning is the worst thing ever?"

"I'm not. I just think Shego's spoiling her and that's putting us all in danger. She's more concerned with giving Kim everything she wants than defending our nation and our country. Kim will be the death of us," he declared as if that were the stone, cold truth.

Hana's brow furrowed. ''What the hell are you even saying? Do you hear yourself? You sound like a crazy person. Why not just talk to both of them and work out what's really on your mind?" she proposed.

"It's none of your business!" he shouted for perhaps the first time in years.

Hana blinked in shock. He did not stick around to hear what else she had to say. He hated to think that she would take his flight as surrender. He also hated to think that it was a surrender.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Bonnie finished with their workout and retreated to Kim's apartment. They stepped inside and all conversation halted for the redhead. Olive eyes nearly fell out at of Kim's skull.

"What the …?" Kim muttered.

''Wow …" Bonnie mumbled.

They were staring at an elegant dinner set up, complete with candles. Kim scanned the table and saw that it was full of her favorite foods. Her month watered at the sight a pasta dish that she did not even recognize. She frowned as an image flashed through her mind, showing her sitting at a table and eating that very pasta dish with Shego at Shego's insistence. Growling, she marched over to table and threw her arms out, violently clearing everything to the floor.

Bonnie squealed and jumped back. Kim glared down at the table, as if it were somehow evil. Out of the corner of her eye, Kim spied something that was not food. It was a book with a bow on it and a card that read, "Please, remember us." Frowning, the redhead snatched the book up and tore if open. It was a scrapbook with pictures, articles, and junk as far as Kim was concerned.

Suddenly, Kim's mind was bombarded with scenes. The rush of images gave her an instant headache and she flung the book as hard as she could against a wall. She groaned in massive pain as her head throbbed. Wrapping her arms around her head, she crouched over in agony. Bonnie inched over to her and put a soothing hand on her back.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked softly.

Kim did not reply. She snapped up and bolted off, knowing that Bonnie would follow as best she could. The hero's blood boiled and she needed to confront Shego to settle her fury. She did not know where the western leader was, but all she had to do was question anyone she passed and that problem was solved.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was standing against the wall while meeting with the Elect as well as a few other officials in the government. There were a couple of assistants there, including Jessie. She and Ryujin were doing their best to focus on the meeting; Shego had to give it to them as they were doing a better job feigning interest than she was.

Her apathy was short lived as the door to the room burst open and revealed an extremely pissed off Kim Possible. Shego could only wonder what she did now, but she barely had time for that thought before Kim was on her. She saw the punch coming, but let it connect anyway with the hope that it would help Kim feel better. Her head snapped to the side as the heavy fist smashed into her pale green cheek.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" Kim roared.

''I have no idea what you're referring to," Shego replied calmly while her inner circle began ushering people out of the room. Thankfully, they did not get involved in the situation beyond that. The leader was not sure what was going on, but she did not want her people to make it worse.

"Don't play around!" Kim screamed as she slammed her former adversary against the wall. "You're trying to screw with my head and put fake ideas and false memories in my mind!"

''What the hell are you even talking about?" Shego asked while silently noting that her cheek really hurt.

''First you're trying to buy me off with all of your damned gifts, but now you're gone too damn far! You're trying to mess with my memories! That's low, even for scum like you! What the hell are you even trying to accomplish?" Kim hollered and bashed Shego into the wall again.

"Scum?" Shego echoed in a cross between hurt and angry.

"Yes, scum! You're the scum of the Earth for messing with my mind! You're an awful, poor excuse for a human being, if you are indeed human! Who the hell tries to force their way into someone's memories? What the hell is wrong with you!"

The words hurt, but the emotion behind them, the vitriol underneath them burned. Shego's insides churned and boiled, gushing to the surface and scorching her throat. Hot tears wet her eyes and seared the orbs. Before anyone could gather what was happening, tears sizzled down Shego's cheeks.

All of sudden Shego turned the tables on Kim. She grabbed Kim by the shoulders and shoved the younger woman away. Kim's mouth dropped open as Shego clutched the redhead's shoulders tightly.

"What the hell are you talking about? Do you really think I would do anything to hurt you? What the hell gives you that idea? I've done nothing but be there for you since you came here, like you were there for me when Drakken tried to take me out! What do you want from me?" Shego screamed and she wondered if they could hear her mind as it snapped.

"Shego …" Kim tried to speak, but the older women was far from done.

"Okay! I wait and wait, cupcake, but not anymore! I will not take 'no' from you again! You are mine! You treat me like shit, but I'm the one there for you! You act like I'm the one that started this war, but I'm the one fighting just like you wanted and I will not go on until I have you! You will tell me you love me, even if it's by force, Princess!"

The declaration was booming and seemed to stop time in the room. The words hung in the air like charged particles. Eyes and mouths all dropped open, but Shego's eyes stayed fixed Kim. For all of her fury, Kim seemed to be completely speechless, utterly flabbergasted. Shego was spent, but still holding onto Kim's shoulders and now panting heavily. The tears continued flowing.

It took a few seconds, but eventually everyone realized that they should leave the room. Soon, Kim was alone with a panting Shego, who had a wild look in her eyes. Shego's hands began moving up and down Kim's shoulders while continuing to grip the redhead tightly.

"Shego …" Kim whispered and her mouth moved as if she wanted to say more, but she could not.

Finally, Shego calmed down. Her breathing evened out and her vision clued up. She noticed how tightly she was holding Kim and slowly released the petite hero. Backing away, she tried to figure what the hell she had just done and how they could both get out of the very tense, awkward moment.

"Shego …" Kim said as if that was the only word that she knew.

"Princess, I need you to know and believe that I would never hurt you. I would never do anything to mess with your mind. I just want you to remember me, our friendship. Something. I just want something," the plasma-wielder replied in a wistful tone. Her voice broke at the end and she sniffled, wiping away her tears.

Kim was still totally dumbfounded, not that Shego expected a response. The former villainess found herself feeling oddly better. She decided to leave with that feeling since it might be the last time she felt better in the redhead's presence.

So, Kim was left alone with her thoughts and memories. _Were those memories? Was that real?_

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim now has to deal with the mess that she made and Junior decides to show Shego that she has not slowed him down.

This final picture that inspired the scene with Shego yelling at Kim (take out the spaces): h t t p : / yogurthfrost. deviantart. com/ art/ What-if-after-How-romantic-85483389


	35. 3:9: Weakness

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.9: Weakness

Junior flipped through several papers that were delivered to him from Drakken, Hench, and Doctor Porter. There were complaints in there about each of them, which had to be expected. He already knew what they were complaining about without even bothering to read them, but he glanced at a few just to make sure there was nothing wrong with what they were working on. Drakken had to gripe about how incompetent everyone was and the other two had to let him know what a whiny baby Drakken was, which, of course, he already knew. Beyond that, there were plenty of good news reports. Well, what he considered good news. None of those working on the project seemed to take anything as good news.

"Who would have thought scientists could be such pessimists," he muttered.

Despite the scientists crying, Junior felt like they had come up with good things. He also noted that Vivian seemed to do her best work under pressure. She came up with brilliant designs, mostly so she could get back to her precious Bebes and the Hive. There were dozens of ideas from her that she practically flung them at Hench and his people the second that she was finished, so that she could return to the things that she loved. Hench's people seemed to enjoy playing Vivian's designs, finding out what was feasible and what was just her overactive imagination. Drakken, of course, cried foul over everything that Vivian provided.

Junior ignored most of Drakken's whining because he was not working directly with the other scientists. The blue-skinned inventor just had to offer sizes for the armor. The reason that he was crying was just because he could.

"If only he worked as much as he whined. Hell, if only he worked as quickly and smartly as Doctor Porter," Junior commented as he flipped to another design.

Sighing, he would like to try most of the designs, but alas Drakken only had two functioning pieces of an army. He needed more of an army and the Bebe production had been slowed down to almost nothing. Of course, he could start that production up again, but he wanted his home back in the air and that would be happening soon.

"That'll be a relief," he sighed, now sounding comforted, but that did not last long. He missed his home and even more than that, he missed his wife. "I will find you, Bonnie, and I will bring you home."

Growling, he almost let Bonnie consume his thoughts. She had been gone for a few months and part of him actually feared that his dumb bitch had died in the desert. He needed more people to spare to search for her, but his staff was stretched to the maximum. His hands clenched into tight fists and crinkled the paper in his grip, which drew his attention back to the armor designs.

"There has to be someway to test these all out," Junior mused and then he remembered one of the things Drakken had always been good at. "He has to have an army of those damn things and he just doesn't want to tell me."

Putting the documents down, he went to his computer and began scanning through his files on the "good" doctor. He had search through old surveillance footage. _I suppose I should be thankful that Drakken's so completely naïve in so many ways that he doesn't notice or even expect those micro-cameras all around his lab_.

Junior hated going through surveillance film. It was the one thing that he could not order someone else to do because most of the time he did not know what _he_ was looking for. He very well could not command someone to just stare at video and report back any "suspicious" activities. He wanted to see what everyone was up to.

Drakken was the easiest to spy on. He did not seem to think that anyone could get the drop on him. Hench and his people expected to be watched, but they would destroy any cameras that they came across. Vivian was virtually impossible to spy on. Even with equipment to see though the perpetual darkness that the Hive was always bathed in, everything in the Hive sensed any foreign electrical device. The Bebes destroyed all of his cameras within seconds of them showing up in the Hive. Drakken never found or destroyed any of the tiny cameras … on purpose anyway.

He paused at several scenes and pulled them out of the whole film. Drakken actually had a lot going on in his lab, especially on his own. Most of the projects that Drakken worked on and that Junior studied involved Drakken, his precious Adam, and staff members that Junior had never seen.

"Who the hell are all of these people?" the Emperor wondered aloud as he looked at all of the folks working hard for Drakken. He had provided the cerulean scientist with a great staff that all reported back to him. These people looked like they answered to no one except Drakken.

Junior continued scanning the scenes for a sign of where Drakken picked up his mystery staff. He had to sift through hours of footage before his first clue made an appearance and things started to make sense.

"The man still plays around with his synthodrones. That would have made a much more reasonable army than the one that he's growing. It certainly wouldn't have taken as long. Sometimes his stupidity astounds me," the all- powerful monarch remarked.

Drakken's probably most successful creations after Adam Lipsky, also known as Tri-acid, were his synthodrones. They did exactly what Drakken wanted them to do. They could be programmed with complex and complicated tasks. They could almost perform like humans. Well, that was what Drakken claimed, but Junior had never seen the drones do more than marching around Drakken's territory and occasionally tripping in said marches, which got them destroyed.

The synthodrones biggest weakness was the fact that they were like walking balloons full of goo. One pinprick and any synthodrone would start doing a very good impersonation of the Wicked Witch of the West. Sometimes, they accidentally destroyed themselves on sharp corners around Drakken's territory.

Junior had not thought much on the drones because he figured that Drakken just used them as puppets for the most part now. They were dolls in his playhouse of a territory. They always seemed like a novelty to the cerulean scientist. They were there to march in his endless parade and praise Drakken since he could not be trusted with real subjects to rule, but the drones in his lab were doing a million things more complicated than marching. They were performing tasks that most normal scientists could do, and they even worked when Drakken was not around.

"So, his drones can actually have intelligence and be trusted to do complex work. They wouldn't make very good soldiers, unless they were protected. How could we protect the whole body of a drone? From the top of the head all the way down to the smallest toe?" he pondered as he leaned against his hand.

None of the armor designs had been full body designs. He supposed he could force Vivian and the other scientists back to the drawing board. That would take more time, though, and he was itching to have Shego and her weaklings feel his wrath from what they had done to him on their last attack.

"Stupid bitch should've attacked me and closed the deal when she had the chance. That's her problem, though. She's got no killer instinct." He shook his head at Shego's inability to go on the offensive.

In reality, he knew that Shego lacked the resources to ever go on the assault against him. Even with the Bebe production down, his army outnumbered hers and hers was flesh and blood. She always worried about the loss of life on her side. He had overcome that weakness over twenty years ago.

"It's that weakness that will cause her to lose this war," he figured.

He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts of Shego and to get back to the important matters of mapping out how he would use the synthodrones. He needed a way for them to be able to fight and kill a few enemies before melting.

"I'll let Hench figure this out. This is why he has a huge think tank, anyway," Junior decided. He would also have to get touch with Drakken to have him produce more synthodrones for battles. He could only wonder how Drakken would react when he found out that the Emperor was aware of his intelligent drones, but he was not looking forward to it. Drakken would react like a child, play stupid, and deny everything no matter the evidence against him.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was left in shock, still trying to wrap her mind around Shego's emotional outburst. She wanted to lie to herself and say that she did not understand, but Shego had made things abundantly clear. There was no way that she could tell herself that big of a falsity. So, now she had to figure out what to do with that information.

Kim quartered herself off in her apartment, needing to gather her thoughts on things. But, she could not gather her thoughts because she could not think. Her brain just locked up on the whole matter. She did not even know where to begin.

Drifting through her apartment, she silently decided to clean up the mess that she had left from Shego's last gift. As she picked up the plates, candles, and fly-covered pieces of food, she tried to let her thoughts go. What got her brain working beyond mindless chores was stumbling across the scrapbook Shego left her. She did not even remember bending down to pick up the book or open it. She also did not recall sitting down on the floor to flip through the book.

"Now, I kinda remember this … I think …" Kim muttered as she looked down at a strip of photos that were located on the first page.

Scratching the top of her head, Kim studied the pictures. She was sure that they came from the time Shego had actually been turned "good." Speaking with Bonnie had reminded her of the time that the green-skinned woman had been transformed into Miss Go and she had been a substitute teacher in their senior year of high school.

Bonnie had not been able to talk details, but she remembered that Kim had been strangely close to the sub. Bonnie told Kim that she had hung out with Shego during that time. Kim had flashes of the memories during the talks, but really did not want to remember, so she ignored them and blocked them out.

"I can't keep doing that. I can't keep blocking out things I don't want to know," she told herself. "I need to seriously try to remember everything."

So, she sat there and stared at the picture. Her fingers traced their smiles and the lines of their faces. Out of the blue, she laughed.

"We had a lot of fun that day," she recollected as a smile settled on her face.

She laughed again and actually felt warm as bits and pieces put themselves together in her mind. She did not fight it as she had in the past, did not dismiss it as confusion, and certainly did not blame it on brain washing from Shego. Slowly, her senior year at least began to make sense.

"Well, I guess for a short while we were friends, but Shego seems to think there was more. That's creepy. I mean, I was with Ron and she was a sub. Not to mention, she's so much older than I am. And I was with Ron!"

Kim groaned at the thought. When she first recalled dating Ron, she had felt disgusted. In her shattered mind, Ron was more like a brother than anything else. Talking with Bonnie had helped, but now sitting down and accepting her memories as they came at her put things in their proper prospective.

"Okay, I was with Ron. We were both trying to see what our feelings were, which in the end turned out to be just what we thought – siblings. Too bad it took a year to figure that out. I guess he eventually found the right one for him." She smiled, hoping Ron had known some happiness in her absence.

While she could now see how things played out between her and Ron, she still could not fathom when Shego developed emotions toward her or even how Shego had developed emotions toward her. She turned her attention back to the scrapbook and considered that her answers might lie within.

"An acceptance letter?" Kim muttered as she pulled the book closer. "My college acceptance letter? How did she get this? Why would she hold onto something like this?"

The redhead took time to read the letter and was flooded with memories and emotions from the day it arrived. There was so much excitement, even from Ron, who could not hope to follow the bright hero to her college destination. They had celebrated, even though they both experienced separation anxiety the very second they realized that they were going to be apart for the first time since pre-school.

"He was so sweet about it. So mature. So un-Ron-like." She chuckled sadly, remembering that they had broken up right after he helped her move into her dorm with the rest of her family. It was that day that they agreed they worked best as family, siblings. They had parted on good terms, smiling and laughing until the blond left.

In the back of her mind, she could see shadows of a visitor when her family was gone. Even though a face did not appear, she knew the shadowy figure was Shego. The older woman had visited her that night and took her to dinner to celebrate her acceptance to one of the best schools in the world.

"We were friends by the time I was in college? How did things come to that?"

She was calm enough to consider asking Shego, but she quickly dismissed that. She still did not trust Shego completely, despite everything, and she would rather try to remember all she could on her own before seeking help from others. She wanted and needed as much order in her brain before she could believe what anyone else said on things.

Flipping to the next page, Kim tried to place what she was looking at. It appeared to be a restaurant menu. Squinting, she realized that it was the menu from the restaurant that Shego took her to celebrate her dorm move and then she realized that Shego often took her there to celebrate – be it good exam grades, great report cards, or just excellent workouts at the gym.

Giving the menu a closer look, Kim realized that many of the foods listed and described in the menu had been laid out on the table. The foods that not too long ago she would have sworn she had never heard of were staring her dead in the face. And she could now recall trying some of them – from Shego's own plate in fact!

Kim gasped loudly. "Oh my god, was she right? Were we friends? Were we more than friends?"

Nothing that came back to her pointed to more than friends. Well, nothing in her memory. Her emotions were so cranked up from everything that she could not peel them back to make sense of anything that might answer her final musing. But, with her memories backing up that they had only been friends, she decided that was probably all they were.

"But, it seems to be more now for her. Why?" she asked the air. The air had no answers.

Kim knew where she would have to go for those answers, but she was not ready to go to the source. Instead, she flipped through the scrapbook. There were a few pictures of her studying. She squinted at the images to see what she was studying and she smiled.

"I was actually going to be a journalist," she laughed as she finally recalled her major. "I was doing a double major in journalism and English lit and doing a minor in photography, so I could write the articles and take the pictures for them without putting someone else in danger."

She could not remember what gave her the idea to be a journalist, but she thought it fit well with her lifestyle. She would have been able to travel the world and help right wrongs with the pen as well as her actions. She would have been able to help in so many ways.

"No use lamenting time lost," she mutterer, flipping the page.

Next up were her report cards. There were more than she expected since she knew that she did not finish her junior year. Looking at each report, She saw that she had done better in college than in high school, which did not surprise her. She had taken summer courses and was well on her way to graduating early.

"And I was going to get in a program for my masters. Trin and Shego had encouraged me to do it while I had the momentum. Mom liked that they were both trying to talk me into a program immediately. That was Shego had done because she saw her brother forgo grad school after taking a semester off and he never went back."

Beyond the idea that Shego had offered her good advise and that Shego had agreed with her mother and sister on something, Kim moved on and tried not to think too much on it lest she would be overwhelmed. She wanted to get through the whole book before her head started swimming. The last few items in the book seemed to be little more than trash, but Kim suspected that these bits were the most important to Shego.

There was a torn menu from a coffee shop, which had a faded address on it that informed her the shop was about forty minutes from her university. There was a packet of hot chocolate and Kim leaned down to smell. _French vanilla. My favorite_. And that little whiff of her favorite hot chocolate took Kim right back to the coffee shop, sitting across from Shego, laughing with Shego, getting advice from Shego, and advising Shego.

"Okay, so I guess we were friends, close friends. How did we get to that point, though?"

Kim took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to think back and remember everything in proper order with all of the pieces in the proper order. Breathing calmly, she let her mind wander, going over things again and again. She did not force anything and she accepted what came at her.

"Drakken helped save the world, only to throw it away because he couldn't cope with the real world. Shego helped save the world and was ready to accept what came with that."

Kim recollected speaking with Shego about it. Drakken had been bitter and whined for a long time about it. Shego stuck with him to keep an eye on him and make sure that he did not hurt himself. She was not only loyal to a fault, but underneath all of the snarky and snide attitude was someone that cared about those close to her. But, had been increasingly clear that to care about Drakken was to suffer because he was not aware enough to understand how horrible he was doing. It was a little while after that Kim had begun telling Shego to leave because it was clearly draining her to be Drakken's babysitter.

"She was stuck. I wanted to help her, just like she wants to help me."

Kim sighed and shook her head. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach and she felt it go all the way through her body and soul. Now, she truly felt lost.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego stared miserably at the paperwork in front of her. She clearly had no intention of doing work and everyone knew it. She had been in a state of sheer melancholy since her snap at Kim. She had been fine until a servant reported that Kim had locked herself in her apartment. The only work that she had gotten done since then was making sure Kim got food delivered to her.

"Shego, you need to snap out of it," Wade declared as he stormed into the room.

"Snap out of what?" she growled.

"You know what. You finally let her know how you feel and now you have to accept that she may never remember how things were with you. Maybe you could start getting over her. It's been twenty years," he pointed out.

"Get the hell outta here, Load. I don't want your opinion, advice, or thoughts. I know what I'm doing," the monarch snarled.

"What the hell are you doing?" Wade screamed, getting red in the face. A vein popped up in his forehead. "What are you doing aside from sitting in the goddamn dark and not doing any work? The country is going to shit, people are fucking starving, and Junior could strike at any moment and we have no fucking clue as to how he's planning to hit us and you're sitting on your ass and crying about how Kim doesn't like or love you!"

Shego snarled as she launched a shot of plasma at Wade that would have burned his chest had he not had the quick reflexes to move just in time. He glared at her, which she gave back a thousand fold. Clearly involved in a battle that he could not win, Wade withdrew the look, but he did not retreat entirely.

"Shego, you have a responsibility to us and your people to not fall apart after we just bitch slapped Junior. You have to pull yourself together," Wade ordered and begged at the same time. His eyes were fiery, yet blazing with tears.

Shego did not respond. She turned away and Wade finally took the hint. He was not going to get through to her, so he retreated from the room. Shego sighed in despair and dipped her head to hide behind her hair.

-8-8-8-8-

"Shit!" Wade screamed as the monitors in his lab went wild. He could not believe what he was seeing. "Dammit, get me Shego!" he ordered into his communication unit.

"Load, leave me the hell alone!" Shego hollered and she disconnected the communication.

"Oh, for fucks' sake!" Wade huffed and called the next best person. "Shadow Hand!"

"Wade, why are you calling me?" the ninja leader asked.

"We have got major problems and Shego isn't freaking talking to me! Junior's back and he's hitting us heavy! I'm talking worse than the wave that hit Jannika. How in the hell he managed this in a few months is insane! Tell Shego we need to mobilize!"

"She's not talking to you?"

"Kim," Wade simply said.

"Goddamn it."

The communication was cut and Wade got to work, making sure his unit was prepared for battle. He hoped that Shego had her head in the game by the time they got onto the battlefield.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim growled as a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She was tempted to ignore it, but it could have been urgent. So, instead of remaining on her butt, she ended up rushing to the door. She opened it without bothering to find out who was there. She gasped when she saw who was at her door.

"Look, I don't know or care what you and Shego have going on. Go talk to her now, so she can get her fucking head together and we can go to war. Junior is on his way to wipe us off the map and Shego doesn't give a shit because of what she has going on with you. And you! You're locked in a room like a hermit when you should be handling this head on like you always do! You fucked up! Start fixing it now," Shadow Hand ordered.

The cold, hard tone of the command did not faze Kim, but it did penetrate her clogged mind. She blinked and suddenly nodded. Olive eyes locked onto Shadow Hand's eyes, if his mask did not cover them.

"You're right. Now, what's this about an attack and Shego not caring?" she asked.

"She's just worried about you. She's in the Dark Room."

Kim nodded. She had been there long enough to know what the Dark Room was and it's location. She took off down the hall to do the right thing and handle things properly.

"Thanks!" Kim called without turning around.

Minutes later the redhead burst into the Dark Room. She could see how it got the name, but ignored that as soon as her eyes landed on the lump on what could only be described as a throne. The western ruler was hidden underneath her mass of ebony hair.

"Shego, what are you doing just sitting there? Junior's attacking!" Kim reported. She was half certain that it was her voice and not the words that made Shego's head pop up.

"Princess?" Shego moaned in despair.

"Shego, I promise we will talk like two civilized adults, but only after we kick Junior's ass one more time!" Kim proclaimed.

Emerald eyes blinked, but remained clouded over. "Talk? Junior? What the fuck?"

"Yes, Junior! So, suit up or whatever the hell you do and let's go!" Kim practically cheered. It had to work because a light flared in those emerald eyes.

"We'll talk after?" the pale woman asked.

"Promise."

A very Shego-esque smirk spread across the western ruler's face. "Let's go kick this pig then! Make sure Tatsu has your Paladin ready, just in case." That got a smirk out of the redhead.

-8-8-8-8-

"How the hell did Junior put together an army like this after we took out the Hive and know the numbers of the Bebes has steadily decreased?" Shego wondered aloud as they moved to intercept Junior's forces.

"We'll take him down like always," Shadow Hand replied.

"I know that, but I'd still like to know how he got more troops. It makes no sense. Did the damn soldier fairy deliver them during the night?"

He did not answer and she did not expect him to. It did not matter because seconds later, they were on the battlefield. Shego quickly found where Junior got fresh troops and in such large numbers. While they were covered in armor, she discovered a space for her claws and essentially pulled the plug on the soldier.

"A goddamn synthodrone," Shego hissed as the familiar green goo clung to her fingertips and oozed onto the rich earth. She reported the discovery into her Kimmunicator to make sure everyone knew that the soldiers were not Bebes, but also were not humans.

The synthodrones were all decked out in full armor, like a medieval knight. Their armor was a sleeker design, but it covered them from almost head to toe with a few weak spots. Shego bet the weak points were due to the fact that Junior grew impatient with all of the months of peace and rushed to put something together to have a battle. _You'd think he'd learn some patience after all this time, but it works for us_.

Aside from being impatient, Junior was also predictable in a way. His massive waves of synthodrones were lined up like legions. Shego spotted it almost immediately and barked orders to fight against the columns. Her people moved to the commands and faced down big guns, laser swords, and electrified spears. Grenades, bombs, gas, and other weapons assisted Junior's army, but Shego's forces kept on fighting.

-8-8-8-8-

"Why aren't you in your giant robot, cousin?" Joss asked as she and Kim navigated their way through tons of soldiers. Kim had to get a weapon from her younger companion to keep up because of the armor, but was not having any particular trouble with the synthodrones.

"Be a bit of overkill with this," Kim replied as she used the pair of hunting knives in her hands to nearly decapitate an enemy.

"I'm not so sure," Joss said with a grunt as she forced back several opponents. "They seem to get tougher with each one that steps up."

Kim grunted in agreement and they continued on, concentrating more on their enemies than the conversation. As things seemed to get more and more difficult, they noted the next step to Junior's attack plan. Above them with the usual flying robots were what looked like two mini-jets blared overhead. They would not have thought anything of it, if only one of the jets did not start firing directly at Kim.

"Whoa!" the hero hollered as she rolled out of the way of the aerial shots as well as blocked a blow from one of the foot soldiers.

"Kim, I think that's gunning just for you!" Joss warned as the jet turned around.

Shots rang out and drew closer to the petite redhead. Kim managed to get out of the way again. The projectiles thankfully cut down some of the synthodrone warriors. Kim made sure to track the plane as it doubled back again.

"I think it might be time for you to go your Paladin!" Joss called.

"You'll be okay?" Kim replied.

Joss smirked. "I'm in my element, cousin, and it ain't me that damn plane is tryna take out!"

Kim decided not to argue and called the Toltec on her Kimmunicator. The Paladin flew in and blocked the jet's third attempt on Kim. Having had more than enough practice, Kim slipped inside the Paladin a few seconds after the Toltec touched ground.

"All right, Toltec, let's get a work out in," Kim declared with a smile.

"With pleasure. I won't be shown up by some mangled piece of metal with wings," the Toltec proclaimed as it took to the air after the jet.

The chase did not last long as the jet turned and fired on the Toltec. The Paladin was barely able to get out of the way in time. The jet quickly adjusted to come around for another shot.

"Kim, it's fast," the Toltec reported as the numbers flashed before the hero.

"Faster than we are. No matter. There's two of us, after all," she replied with her typical optimism.

-8-8-8-8-

The other jet had made a turn toward Shego, only to discover that the pale woman was harder to target than Kim was. Shego had a knack for using her enemies as shields and the drones did not move fast enough to avoid being destroyed.

"This is easier than ripping the damned things apart myself," Shego remarked.

"Just don't get shot," Shadow Hand remarked as he tore through wave after wave of their enemies.

Shego snorted and rolled her eyes, _as if I'm that careless_. She kept her attention on the jet, getting it to take down her opponents. She waited until the plane wasted all of its ammo and then went on the offensive. She flung a plasma shot up at the jet, which the plane dodged. Shego chuckled.

"I guess we do this the hard way," the green- skinned woman muttered, but she did not get to do so before the jet surprised her.

The plane turned around while changing shape. It quickly took the form of a humanoid and Shego got the idea that the jet was some kind of armor. A moment later she was left wondering who was in the armor as the person retaliated with a plasma sphere of their own.

"What the fuck?" Shego gasped and she almost did not dodge the shot. As it whizzed by her, she got a good look at it. That was not Tri-Acid's plasma. It was much closer to home. "Who the hell is this with my powers?"

Not fretting over the powers as she usually would, Shego stood her ground. She flared her hands and prepared for true combat. Growling, she fired several shots at the aerial armor.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim had pulled the gun of the Toltec, but had not succeeded in hitting their target. The jet was much too swift and fired back with its own projectiles, trying to keep the fight at a distance. Kim was not interested in giving her enemy what it wanted, so she decided on a closer approach.

Drawing the laser sword, Kim blazed over to the jet and was surprised when it flew toward her. She swung the sword and found out why the jet faced off with her. As her weapon was about to connect, the jet changed form and took humanoid form. It threw out its arms as a defense, pressing its forearms together to block. Kim's sword then collided with a powerful energy shield in front of the limbs.

"No way!" Kim growled and swung the sword again, only for it to clash against the shield. She pushed forward, anyway, thinking that she might be able to break through. The shield crackled as the redhead tried to force her way in.

"Kim, my arms are overheating," the Toltec reported as warning sounds went off and sensors alerting that the machine's elbows, arms, and wrists were in danger.

"Hang on, Toltec! We can take this!"

Kim growled as she pushed the Toltec harder; it got to the point that she could smell the Paladin's joints burning for the strain. Sparks flew from the Toltec, but Kim just pressed forward. The Toltec went along, even though the gauges clearly showed that the Paladin was reaching its limit. Smoke flew from machine and alarms blared on the inside, yet Kim was surprised as the arms of her partner locked up.

"No, Toltec! We just need a little bit more!" Kim begged.

The Toltec could not respond and suddenly all systems shut down. The Paladin plummeted from the sky and shook the ground as it made a huge impact crater. All visuals to the outside world shut down just as the enemy suit descended upon her, but the finishing blow never came.

"What just happened?" Kim wondered aloud. Minutes that seemed like hours past before the redhead was peeled out of her armor. "What happened?" she asked as soon as she was free.

"We destroyed most of the synthodrones and the jet retreated," Joss answered.

Kim chuckled. "Lucky me." And she definitely meant that.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim and Shego have their talk while Junior chalks up the retreat as a win for some reason.


	36. 3:10: Melting

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

3.10: Melting

Shego watched as the few remaining enemies wisely retreated from the battlefield. Her opponent stuck around longer than the others, but eventually conceded the match and seemingly reluctantly fled. A frown marred the western ruler's face as she resisted the urge to follow and find out why on Earth she just fought someone with powers exactly like hers.

"Maybe we should follow. The drones aren't half as tough as the Bebes. We should be able to totally annihilate them," Shego considered, but a look around the combat zone told her that she was letting her emotions get the better of her. Her troops were battered and hurting. The drones that were a cake-walk for her were a serious threat to her forces. "Best chalk this up as a victory and get these guys the medical attention they deserve." It was not like destroying every synthodrone would do them any good, anyway. Junior could and would always have Drakken make more if he wanted to continue using them.

Sighing, Shego moved on to access the situation and her military. She quickly found out that while there were plenty of injuries, there were not many fatalities. The drones lacked the instant calculations and shared data files to deliver the killing blow upon first strike, unlike the Bebes.

"Why do you think Junior went with this switch?" Shadow Hand asked. "The drones were a huge step down from the Bebes."

"That they were, but Junior's an impatient man and the Rebels did succeed in blowing the Hive up. They must've done more damage than we thought and somehow Junior doesn't have the same number of Bebes he used to. Or he might be using the Bebes to get his house flying again because you know he's crying like a baby that we managed to knock his ass out of the sky. Either way, there's no way he'd let us go un-harassed for too long, though. He doesn't want us to get comfortable and he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he wasn't trying to wipe us off the face of the Earth," Shego answered.

Shadow Hand snorted. "Still, this was almost a waste of time."

Shego shook her head. "Not really. He weakened us by wounding and injuring plenty of our troops. He can always make more drones. Hell, they're easier to make than a Bebe. For all we know, this could've been a test and a bigger wave could be on its way. Maybe not now, but soon."

Shadow Hand nodded and looked up at the sky. He was suddenly gone and Shego knew he was going to scout to see if there was a second wave. She doubted there was, but there was no telling with Junior. He was always full of surprises that they did not want.

"Better start moving the wounded while we got the chance then," she decided.

The wounds that the drones had inflected were horrible and grotesque. They were the complete opposite of the wounds from Bebes, which tended to leave cleaner, more surgerical cuts. But, of course, a wound from a Bebe typically resulted in death, so everyone would prefer the drones to the Bebes any day.

"Any landing you can walk away from," Shego muttered as she watched several injured soldiers get up and walk off for medical service under their own power. "They'll heal and we will fight another day," she vowed.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior rubbed his chin as he studied the reports coming in about the battle. He had already called a retreat after finding out most of the drones had been destroyed. He had allowed several of the artificial beings to be outfitted with cameras to record their effort as well as Shego's response to the attack. The synthodrone army definitely required more work, but they were not a complete waste of movement.

"They will have to do until Doctor Porter gets the Hive situation under control. I suppose she will continue to be useful to me."

He sighed and resumed his work. He needed to do something about the drones because they were a clear advantage, but they had a glaring weakness. He needed a quick fix because the drones were fast to create and he could attack Shego again without giving her much breath in between. They needed to be able to do more damage, so they needed to last in a fight longer than one hit. He picked up his phone.

"Doctor Drakken," Junior said calmly.

"Yes?" the blue-skinned scientist replied.

"Have the two gotten in yet?"

"No, they're not here yet. I told you I'd call you as soon as they come in."

Junior growled, even though Drakken had said just that. He disliked the idea of Drakken correcting him in any manner, though. Drakken recognized his error for once and yelped.

"I mean, unless you'd rather just come here and wait," the mad scientist offered.

"No, I'll come when they arrive as I said the first time we had this discussion. What I do want is to know if you could somehow make the synthodrones tougher. Is there a way to keep them from melting?" Junior inquired.

"I haven't really looked into it. Until now, they served their purpose pretty well and didn't need to be tougher."

"Yes, well, it is a new day," Junior huffed. "Can you make if so they can survive more than one hit?"

"I'm sure I could, but the process would be more complicated and it would take longer. Wasn't the whole point of using the synthodrones because they were fast to produce?" Drakken asked in a confused tone.

"How much longer?"

"I'm not sure. I've never had to do it before."

"I heard you the first time. Give me answers, not repeats." The emperor growled, his irritation practically radiating through the phone.

Drakken snorted. "I don't know. I've never done it. I've never had to do it. The synthodrones don't work well as soldiers."

"You've used them as soldiers before?"

"A long time ago before I started working with you. No matter what, they've always had the problem that you're seeing. That's what they are."

"So, you're saying it can't be fixed?"

"I'm saying that it might take time."

Junior growled. "I don't have time. I want to attack Shego again as soon as possible. I want as many drones as possible and I want them to last more then one hit. Can you do this, Doctor?"

"You want two different things then. We could hit Shego as often as you want with thousands of synthodrones in the armor or we sit around trying to redesign the synthodrones and never be able to attack. All the drones are is the pile of goo they melt into."

"Can't you make them more like Tri-acid?" the Emperor asked.

"Adam is not a drone! He is way more sophisticated than a pile of goo! He was a million times more complicated to make!" Drakken objected, sounding thoroughly insulted. "The drones are drones. Simple as that."

"Doctor," Junior sighed impatiently. He had a feeling that he was stuck with weak drones and would have to bear with it for now. It would just be something else that he put on Hench's people when he could free more of them up for research projects. "Call me when the two come in." He disconnected the communication.

He went back to his reports and eventually decided that it did not matter that the drones could hardly take a hit. He could simply overwhelm Shego by attacking often and she would run out of useful troops. He could mix in some Bebes with the drones and if Drakken's pair worked out, he might be able to finally finish the war, especially if the rest of Drakken's little clone army came through.

"I will devour the final knight and rule this planet outright," Junior declared.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim frowned as she helped Tatsu load the Toltec onto a truck for transport. The Paladin was still offline and Kim could only hope that once the suit was back in the Basement then Wade and Tatsu would be able repair it. As the Paladin was placed flat in the truck, Kim patted it.

"I'm so sorry, Toltec. I promise you, I'll train harder and next time, we'll come out on top," Kim vowed.

"Fixing the Toltec is my top priority," Tatsu informed the redhead.

"Thanks."

Tatsu climbed in with the Toltec while Kim went off to see if anyone needed an extra set of hands. She ended up with Wade, helping him collect all of the armor scattered on the ground. Junior's troops had gathered as much as they could in their retreat, but left enough for Wade to be curious.

"Make sure to scan whatever you pick up because Junior always has cameras and bugs on everything," Wade warned her.

"No problem. What do you think Junior will do now that he's using synthodrones?" Kim asked curiously as she got work. She used her Kimmunicator to scan the first piece of armor debris by her.

"I don't know. Twenty years of fighting Junior and I still can't predict that psychopath. I do think we can expect larger forces. It's a lot easier to make a drone than a Bebe."

"Bad news for us then. Although, I think I'm more worried about that plane that came at the Toltec more than the drones. What if he has more of those?" she worried aloud.

"It was a plane that damaged the Toltec like that?" he asked, sounding partially incredulous and partially curious. She poked her head up from her task to see his face, but he had his back to her.

"Well, it started out as a plane, but transformed into a suit."

Wade made a curious noise. "Sounds like they're trying to one-up us. Was it just one plane?"

"Yup. One Plane, one suit."

"I'll look into it when we get home. Sounds like something we should be ready for, especially if it beat the Toltec."

"We could barely catch it to try to put a move on it and when we finally got it, the shield protecting it was more powerful than we could handle. Shut the whole system down. Poor Toltec. I should've done something different, something better. I could've done more," she insisted in a heavy tone.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Kim. Sometimes just surviving the battle is enough. This is war, after all."

Kim only grunted as a response. Those were easy things to say, but they were not going to fix the Toltec. Those words were not going to stop Junior from trying to kill them or enslave them. Those words were not going to make the world a safer place to live.

"I appreciate the pep talk. Hard to believe you're the same guy that yelled at me for bringing Bonnie into the Basement," Kim said with a forced laugh.

Wade forced out a laugh, too. "Sorry about that. It's just that stuff is super top secret. If it ever got leaked, Junior would be able to destroy us."

"Don't be sorry. I didn't totally get it before, but I do now. I'll be a lot more careful about things in the future. I'm sorry I was so slow in truly understanding what's going on."

"It's not like it's your fault, though. But, let's just let bygones be bygones and pick up as much of this junk as we can."

Kim nodded in agreement and the pair worked silently gathering what they could for Wade to study later. A few hours past before Shego called for everyone to move out. Kim followed along and was eventually spotted by her friends as they returned to Isabella.

"Hey, Aunt Kim, you doing okay? I saw the Toltec go down," Ryujin said.

"I'm fine. The Toltec has seen better days," Kim sighed.

"Don't worry about your suit. Wade'll definitely fix that up and you'll be using it to get revenge in no time," Joss declared.

"It's not about just revenge, is it, Aunt Kim?" Ryujin asked.

"I don't really expect you to get it. You guys don't know the Toltec. He probably comes off as a just machine to you, but he's more than that. He's pretty much a person to me. He's got a personality and thoughts. He's my partner and I was supposed to be there for him. I wasn't, though, and my partner got injured because of that," Kim sighed dejectedly and shook her head.

"It'll be fine. Wade and Tatsu know what they're doing and the Toltec undoubtedly knows how dangerous war is," Shadow Eyes explained.

Kim did not dispute that, but she still felt guilty. She was not sure how, but she was going to make up for her failure. Silently, she vowed that the Toltec would never go down like that again. They would not lose again.

-8-8-8-8-

Wade and Tatsu got the Toltec back to their workshop and studied the Paladin visually before anything else. Wade leaned back as he observed the dents in the suit that Kim had not mentioned. His face scrunched up as he took in the dings. He reached out and touched one of the dents.

"Tatsu, stop me if I sound crazy, but doesn't this look like …?" he asked curiously, unable to finish his sentence because what he was thinking was too weird, even for them. It also frightened him just a little bit.

Tatsu squinted as she examined the suit. "It looks like Shego hit it, doesn't it?"

"That's what I thought. I'm not crazy am I?"

"No, unless I've gone blind while you've gone crazy. They look like Shego, but they don't look as powerful as something Shego would do and they're definitely smaller than her hands, but they definitely look like Shego."

"I'm going to call her and then we have to get footage of this whole mess. Hopefully, the Toltec was working in some capacity and it was recording because we need to know what the hell we're up against now."

Tatsu nodded and made her way to her computer. Wade got on his comm unit and got in touch with Shego, who was clearly still pissed with him, but also not taking any chances. He would take what he could get.

"What do you want, Load?" Shego sniffed.

"I need you to be a little professional and stop being upset with me. Me and Tatsu have a problem that you could help with," he replied with patience.

"I can help with?" She sounded beyond skeptical. "Where are you?"

"We're in the Basement." He heard the click that signaled Shego had hung up. He could only hope that she was on her way. He turned his attention to Tatsu. "I think she's coming."

"Good. I think I can get a picture here, but I'm not too sure."

Wade went over to her and helped out. They did not get too far in their search when they heard Shego at the door. The ruler actually did not have access to the room, but that was her decision. Tatsu went to let Shego in.

"All right, what do you need me for?" Shego demanded as she marched into the workshop.

"You have to see these marks," Tatsu replied while motioning to the Toltec.

Shego shrugged and went over to the suit. She inhaled sharply as she took in the sight of the dents. Wade looked up from the screen when he heard the noise escape their leader.

"I'm guessing you see what we see," Wade commented.

"I see more than that. I faced off with someone in armor that dared to have my goddamn powers and now I get to see there's more than one of these little bastards," Shego snarled.

"Wait, you faced off with one, too? Kim fought with one in the Toltec. What the fuck is Junior up to?" Wade wondered aloud.

"Beyond that, how the fuck did he get at least two people with my powers?" Shego huffed.

"Do you think Drakken made more Tri-Acids?" Wade considered.

The pale women shook her head. "No, Tri-Acid's plasma powers are really only plasma in name. He's more acid based than anything else. These hits and what I dealt with during the battle were definitely more my powers. They're not as powerful as my plasma, but it was just like my plasma."

"What do you think it is?" Wade asked while Tatsu went back to trying to recover data from the Toltec.

"No idea. I didn't see anything beyond the armor and the plasma. For all I know, it could've been a robot, a Bebe, a drone, something totally new, or God only know what," Shego replied.

"We don't need this," Wade sighed.

"No, we don't. Do you think Junior somehow got the comet that gave me and my bothers our powers?"

Wade shook his head, but his face was deeply troubled. "Do you think he's somehow using you brothers and getting all of the powers from them?"

"Maybe. We all have bits of the other powers in us, but that's not common knowledge. Hell, you're now the only person outside of my family that knows this bit of trivia. Yes, he has a butt-load of smart ass people, but smart enough to not only figure out that every member of Team Go has traces of the others powers and also figured out how to isolate my powers from the boys and put the power into other people? Not to mention, not using the other glows against us because he could destroy anytime he wanted if he had my brothers' powers and mine." Shego's face scrunched up.

"It does sound crazy when you put it that way, but what else is there?" Wade mused and then his eyes went wide. He hit himself in the forehead with his palm. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before and I'm married to Amy. What if they cloned you?"

Shego growled at the idea. "Fucking Drakken! That was like his wet dream when I worked for him."

"Where'd he get the DNA from if he did?" Wade pondered, putting his hand to his chin in contemplation. "I mean, this would make sense if it happened early in the war, but twenty years in? That's farfetched."

"Yeah, if Drakken could clone me, he definitely would've done it a long time ago," Shego agreed. "Hey, oh-silent-one, what are you working one? Trying to solve this mystery?"

Tatsu shook her head. "I'm trying to get a video of what Kim and the Toltec were fighting. Then you'll be able to compare it to what you fought. But, the Toltec seems completely offline. That shield might have done more than just force the Toltec to overload when they tried to overpower it. The shut down might in have been caused by the shield or something else on that other suit."

"I'll look for the video. You try to get the Toltec back up or at least get some of the systems going," Wade said while going to grab his laptop.

"Do you need me for this?" Shego asked curiously.

"Not really. We don't have anything beyond your confirmation that you could make those marks with your powers and at least two enemies, the one you faced and the one Kim fought, have powers like yours," Wade replied.

"But, they are weaker than my abilities," the pale woman pointed out.

"Right. If we find anything, we'll call you back," Wade informed her.

Shego nodded and she left the pair to their work. Wade and Tatsu worked quietly for a few minutes before they heard the door open. They poked their heads up to see Kim entering the room. The redhead went right to the Toltec and put her hand on the Paladin's shell.

"We're working on getting him back online, Kim," Wade assured her as he observed the heavy guilt-ridden look in those olive eyes. Dark circles and lines seemed to be making their home underneath her eyes.

"I know you are. I still feel like I should apologize to the Toltec. I should've done a better job as an operator," Kim said.

"You did your best. You know that and the Toltec knows that. Don't worry about it. I'll call you the second we have the Toltec back online. Of course, if the Toltec doesn't call you first," Wade assured her with a laugh.

Kim managed a smile. "I guess. I don't want to be in your way, so I'll leave you to it."

Wade nodded. Kim waved at the pair before taking her leave. She had to take a deep breath the second that she was out of the room. She would have liked to just stay with the Toltec, but she had another matter to settle.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego yawned and rubbed her eyes before focusing on the report in front of her. Her attention was drawn away from the work as she heard the door of the Dark Room open. Her mouth dropped open when she saw her guest.

"Kim," Shego could not manage another word.

"Hey, Shego. Is it a good time to talk?" Kim asked.

"Now's as good a time as any," Shego answered while moving papers out of the way.

Kim glanced around, taking in the sight of the other people milling about the area. She also looked at Shego's bodyguard, who was standing in the shadows behind the western ruler. She noticed that he tensed when her gaze fell on him.

"Think you can take a few moments off and we go get some hot chocolate?" Kim proposed with a hopeful smile.

Shego was certain that her heart skipped a beat. She almost fumbled her paperwork. She composed herself enough to climb out of her seat without falling on her face. She took a deep breath as she stood up.

"I know a place," the pale woman said in a low, calm tone.

Kim only nodded and followed the green-skinned monarch out of the room. They did not speak as they walked to a nearby cafe. A very jumpy waiter seated them immediately. His reaction to their presence was understandable. How often did one have the Savior and the Legend sitting in his section?

"I hope he doesn't spill the hot chocolate," Kim remarked with a laugh.

"I think we can forgive him if he does. This is huge," Shego said, motioning between the two of them.

"I'd love to say no big, but that'd be a huge lie, huh?"

"Super huge."

Kim chuckled a little more. They were quiet again, waiting for their drinks. It was as if they could not begin without the familiar beverage. They did not have to wait long, as their nervous waiter rushed back over. The cup chattered as his tray rocked because of his trembling arms. He quickly put the tray down on the table.

"Can I – Can I –" His teeth chattered together and he took deep breath to calm down. It did not help.

Shego smiled at him. "We're fine for now." He nodded and hurried away. She turned her attention to Kim as they both took their cups. "So, you want to talk?"

Kim blew on her chocolate and stared into the cup briefly before meeting the emerald eyes across from her. "I owe you an apology, first and foremost. I've been horrible to you without knowing all of the facts and judging you on a past that's long gone."

"It's not so long gone for you, though, Pumpkin. I don't really want your apologizes, though. I want for you to be okay. Are you okay?" A green-skinned hand moved, as if it was going to go across the table, but Shego stopped herself.

Kim sighed and then sipped her hot chocolate. "I think I'm still getting there. I sat down with your scrapbook and tried to let the memories just come to me. Some came through clear, but there's still some haze in my brain. I remember moving into my dorm and you taking me out for dinner to celebrate, but I don't really remember how we got that close. I remember you being a sub at my school, but I don't remember why you stopped. I vaguely remember you helping save the world, but I can't even remember from what."

Shego nodded. "Do you want me to tell you?"

"No. I want to remember on my own. I'm not going to fight it anymore and I'm not going to fight you anymore. Well, you know what I mean."

The older woman made a noise that was between a breath and a grunt. "So, we're friends again?"

A shy smile worked its way onto Kim's round face. "If you'll have me."

A bright smile flashed across the older woman's face. "Cupcake, the whole Obsidian Manor would kick my ass if I declined. You don't know what they've had to live with."

Kim's brow furrowed. "Why, Shego? Was I … Am I that important to you?"

The plasma-wielder smiled softly now. "I doubt you'll ever get how important you are to me."

"I'm more open to the idea than before. I'm more inclined to listen to you try to explain it, too."

"You've been my inspiration for the past twenty years. I don't know if you remember what you said to me before you got trapped, but you touched me. Your valor touched me. You sacrificed your life for me. You practically jumped in front of a bullet for me. You could've died. You could've died to save me. I had to do something."

Now Kim smiled softly. "I actually touched you? I never would've thought that since you never listened to me. You should've left Drakken a long time ago before things got that."

Shego laughed. "I should've known you'd hit me with an 'I told you so' as soon as you remembered that."

"Well, you should've left," the younger woman insisted, still smiling.

"I should've, but I worried about him and you see what happened when I leave the crazy bastard alone."

"I'm glad you had people by your side. I'll be by your side now," Kim vowed.

Shego smiled and then put her hand on the table again. She eased her hand toward Kim, but stopped as she realized what she was doing. Kim finished the motion, though, taking Shego's hand in hers.

"I know you don't want apologizes, but I'm really sorry for my behavior since I've been here," Kim said.

"It's okay. Really, I'm happy that you're okay," Shego lied.

The redhead laughed. "You've turned into a horrible liar! I pissed you off and I'm sorry about that. I didn't know what was going on and I judged you way wrong. But, I'm getting better."

"I can see that."

They were quiet for a few seconds. Shego decided to drink her beverage, which was getting cold. She did not care, especially since Kim looked so comfortable sitting across from her and holding her hand. Emerald eyes drifted toward their hands. Kim must have noticed where her eyes went.

"You know this feels really familiar. My memory is still shaky, but we were just friends, right, Shego?" Kim asked in a low tone.

Sorrow passed through Shego's eyes, but a small smile settled on her face. "Yeah, just friends. You were still very much into guys last I checked. Don't worry about _that_ issue. That's my issue to worry about."

Kim nodded and Shego felt something blossom in her chest. Their current situation was not helping her issue, but she could not have been happier. _I've got it bad and I know it'll just get worse and I could care less_.

"Should you be getting back to work?" Kim asked as they finished their drinks.

Shego sighed. "I really should."

"Yeah, I figured as much. You're doing a good job, Shego. Keep it up."

The leader visibly preened as she nodded. Kim walked back to her office with her, but did not go in. Kim did make a sparring appointment with the pale woman. Shego could not help the smile on her face as she went back to work. She got so caught up in doing her job that she did not notice her bodyguard was missing.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was on her way to check on Bonnie, but was waylaid not too far from the Dark Room. Shadow Hand stood in he path and she could just tell that he was glaring at her. She took that in stride.

"I didn't make things worse. I apologized to her and even remembered that we drank hot chocolate together. I remembered being her friend," Kim informed him.

"That's good. Maybe now she can get some work done," he grunted. "And you don't have to go around endangering the whole world by pissing her off."

Kim frowned. "Yeah, everything's better now."

"Okay, good," he said as if that was the end of the conversation, but he did not move to let Kim go on her way.

"Anything else?" she asked curiously because she sensed there was.

"Just be careful. Who knows how crazy Shego will go if something happened to you."

Kim nodded. "I get it."

"Good."

The redhead decided to go about her business. Shadow Hand did not say or do anything to stop her. She barely made it past him before she stopped and regarded him with a small smile.

"Thanks for everything. I'm here to talk whenever you're ready, Ron," she said and then quickly continued on her way. She heard him gasp when she was a few steps away.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior was at Drakken's lab, waiting. He frowned as he watched the pair he was there to see strip off their armor. Drakken was standing by his side, undoubtedly wanting to ask his own million and one questions. Junior just wanted to debrief them and ask some questions based on the footage that he had seen in regards to the battle.

"Kigo-one and Kigo-two, get over her," Drakken ordered as soon as the duo was out of their armor.

Two green-skinned girls bounded over. One was clearly a teen while the other appeared to be more in the range of eight, nine, but definitely no older than ten. Drakken had dubbed the older one "Kigo-one" and younger was "Kigo-two." Junior thought the names were stupid, but since they had won their first battle in the sense that they showed they could fight Shego and Kim, he decided Drakken could keep the names.

Kigo-one was Drakken's first creation in a long line of "kigos." She was slightly darker than the younger one; her tone had more of grass green coloring to pale skin. Her hair was long and dark red with black streaks, like a blood-colored tiger. She was built like a young Kim Possible, Junior had noted the first time he saw her. But, she frowned all the time, like Shego, or smirked in that same superior manner as Shego. She had a hard emerald gaze like Shego, too.

Kigo-two was rather different from the first. In fact, the only thing they had in common was long hair. But, the younger's mane matched Shego's hair, except for a tuft of fiery red at the front. She had emerald eyes, but there was something else there instead of the steely-like gaze of Junior's hated enemy. These eyes had an intense energy to them. It was almost like looking at Kim Possible, but then there was the pale face with the sickly green undertone to it that spoke of her link to Shego.

"I knew these clones would be the downfall of Shego. I could definitely make a better sidekick by blending Kim and Shego together," Drakken declared proudly as he puffed out his chest. "I'll bring her to her knees with them!"

Junior left Drakken to his illusion. While the scientist ranted to himself, Junior questioned the clones. He smiled; they might have the thing that would bring Shego down. They just needed more than One and Two. _I've got your number now, bitch_.

-8-8-8-8-

This is the end of the third array. Three down, two to go. The fourth array will be coming next week, same bat time, same bat channel, so don't go anywhere!

Special thanks to: Yogurth for letting me use his ideas and characters, LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), and my betas williamsoft1 and mrTomC.


	37. Prologue: World War III

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

_Fourth array: Metamorphose _

Prologue: World War III

Junior teaming up with Doctor Drakken was a nuisance, to put things mildly anyway. But, adding a genius like Vivian Porter to the mix was a whole different animal altogether. Not that anyone outside of their evil, little trio knew about Vivian. The blond scientist was beyond being a recluse, not enjoying the stares thanks to her horribly burned and disfigured face. Most of the time it was clear that she wished that she were dead, but she felt like she had a mission; she never told them what it was, but she had a determination and hatred toward Shego that drove her. Her presence was felt in the might of the growing number of Bebes and their improvements each time they were unleashed upon the Earth. Junior used the damned things with deadly accuracy, which did not seem to bother either of his two lieutenants.

Drakken was fine with things as he enjoyed all of the toys that Junior gave him to play with. Of course, he also kept images of Professor Dementor at the forefront of his mind. He could not forget the twisted, mangled corpse and he refused to let that become him. Instead, he did what Junior asked him and secretly worked on his own projects to hopefully take the world by storm on his own eventually. He was sure that he could and would take over the world.

Vivian could not be any more different from Drakken. Junior had her undying loyalty as long as he killed Shego. She was pouring all of her energy into the destruction of the super-powered bitch and she did not care what stood in her way, including the world. Shego had to die.

Aside from those three, the world had seen in an increase in megalomania and general anarchy. Surprisingly enough, the rise in chaos waylaid Junior's own plans. Of course, the mayhem did not help Shego either and she was running herself ragged. She gained a new respect for Kim every time that she went out to save the day. _God, I miss Kim more and more everyday_.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego coughed as she landed hard on her back. Blood poured out of her nose; her blood was a deep crimson, almost a maroon. She had been seen bleeding often enough that the color of her blood was no longer a subject of interest. Years earlier many people had assumed her blood would be green and the first time that was seen as untrue had been a huge shock to the world. Most people still looked at her as a freak of nature, even though she was just about the only thing that stood between them and total discord.

"Lucky hit," Shego groaned as she ignited her hand and climbed to her feet. She locked eyes with her current nemesis – Cutlass. The whole pirate theme had been funny until the bastard swung his sword with precision that would have made a samurai jealous. Added to that, he had superhuman strength and most could understand why Shego had ended up on her back.

"Arg, if ya think that was luck, there be more for ya, wench," Cutlass declared.

"Hey, I'm not just going to take being called a wench," Shego replied as she wiped the blood from her face.

She then went at him as she would any other minor Dragon. It was now the Dragon Age and the war had begun, even though no one really noticed yet. Villains were common now and called Dragons because for the most part their motives were similar to dragons in fairy tales. They wanted riches to hoard, or women to steal away, or just to wreck havoc across the land.

Shego was finally recognized as a Knight, one who fought the villainous Dragons. Unfortunately, most law enforcement agencies still did not want to aid the plasma-wielder. So, she was left on her own when she went out to battle Dragons and it was taking a toll on her.

Flaring her hands high, she sliced through Cutlass' first sword, but he was wielding another. She growled as he cut her across the side and she ate the wound. She punched Cutlass in the gut with all of her might and he grunted as the heavy, charged fist collided with his stomach.

"Give it up," she snarled and punched him again.

"Never!" he replied, only to be punched again.

Cutlass tried to bring his sword to slice her once more. She saw it coming and used her claws to wound him first. She cut him across the shoulder, going through cloth and flesh. He hissed in pain and slashed at her to get her away from him. She came right back, though, and attacked as he was getting his sword in proper position. She cut into his arm to get him to drop the weapon, but that did not end the encounter.

-8-8-8-8-

"Shego, you really need to stop doing this on your own," Ann commented as she stitched up several deep wounds on the super-powered woman. The cuts needed the stitches, but she would have to take them out in a couple of days because of the green-skinned woman's healing factor.

"I can't do it with anyone else," Shego pointed out.

"Can't you just go out with Trin and Shin when they fight the Dragons?" the doctor suggested.

The pale woman shook her head. "They don't go out nearly as often as I do."

"Well, you might be going out too often. This is the third time you've come back injured and you need plenty of stitches. You have to do something differently. Why don't you team up with you brothers again?"

Shego scoffed. "Because they don't trust me and I don't want to deal with that headache." She then gave Ann an amused look. "You obviously don't have brothers. Kim would understand."

"No, I don't have brothers, but even Kim had someone helping her. You can't do it all yourself," the doctor argued as she finished up her sutures.

Shego did not reply and would have put the discussion out of her head, but Ann had to mention things to Ron. He eagerly volunteered to be her sidekick, which did not sit well with Shego. He had not been out in a while and had never been out with her. She was not sure if he would be able to handle it. Hell, she was not sure if _she_ would be able to handle it … being out with him, not the villain.

"Ron, this isn't like when you were running around with Kimmie. The villains aren't cute, cuddly, or funny. Dragons are serious and deadly. They will kill you and not in some stupid, death trap way. I'm talking gun-in-your-face-blow-your-damned-brains-out. There's no joking around," Shego told him.

Ron waved the warning off. "I got this."

He changed his tune as soon as they were out in the thick of things. He smacked into the pavement and could have sworn he heard his skull crack. The impact certainly made his teeth rattle and he could taste the iron flavor of blood in his mouth.

"I don't got this," the blond groaned in severe pain.

"Shit," Shego hissed as her "sidekick" was flattened. She went to put an end to the battle before anything worse could happen … to either of them. She was bleeding, too.

"What the hell was that?" Ron asked as Shego helped him to his feet. Blood poured down his face; maybe his skull was cracked.

"I told you! This isn't what you remember and it's not what you're used to," Shego pointed out.

"Is it always like this?" he asked incredulously as he wiped the blood from his face.

Shego rotated her sore right shoulder. "More or less."

"Then, Missus Doctor Possible was right! You need help and I've gotten too useless to even be a damn sidekick! I helped save the world and now I can't take on some crazy crocodile dude!"

"Ron, trust me, I've fought with him a few times before and that crazy crocodile dude is just as bad as those aliens," Shego tried to assure him. He did not seem to believe her, though. She was not surprised that a few days later he left to go retrain in his ninja arts. She hoped he came back soon. _I really could use all the help I can get around here_.

-8-8-8-8-

Ron showed up at Yamanouchi with determination in his coffee-colored eyes. He had climbed the mountain with ease, so he was sure that he was not totally out of shape. But, he was still useless in the battles out in the real world and he could not stand the thought of that. _I can't let things get worse than they already are. What would Kim think? I just can't let things get worse_. So, he would train and get his mystical monkey skills under control. He would then return to Shego and help her save the world from going up in smoke.

"Stoppable-san, I have been expecting you," Master Sensei said as he met Ron at the front of the ninja school.

Brown eyes blinked in surprise. "You were? But, I didn't tell anyone that I was coming."

"I was still expecting you. I know that the outside world is in chaos and it will only get worse. You are wise to continue your training. I have put together a training manual and schedule for you," the old man informed Ron.

Ron could not help the stunned expression that was plastered to his face. "You worked all of that out for me already?"

"As I said, I was expecting you."

Ron could only nod. Master Sensei turned and walked deeper into the school with Ron right behind him. The blond got right to work. He wanted to be able to return to Shego as soon as he could and keep the world together, not torn apart by all of the insane Dragons.

-8-8-8-8-

Ron was going through his morning katas after being at the school for over a week when he got his first glimpse of Yori. She was going through her own exercises, jogging around the compound. He watched her, but he did not approach her. He remained focused on his goal. The world was more important than reigniting his friendship with Yori. Besides, he knew that she would understand what he was trying to do.

He did watch Yori every morning that they were out together. He doubted that she noticed. She never looked in his direction, not as much as a glimpse. Inside, he felt a little hurt because he was sure that Yori was aware of him. All of the ninjas at the school knew he was there, after all. _So, why is Yori ignoring me, acting like she doesn't know I'm here?_

Of course, he was somewhat happy that she was ignoring him because he was not distracted by her much. Every now and then, thoughts of Yori crept into his mind, but not enough to take him from his task. He only acknowledged her when he felt he was ready to return to the outside world – back to the Dragons.

"Hey, Yori," Ron said as he approached her in the early morning on the day that he was going to leave. He was dressed in the black ninja gi with the Lotus Blade strapped to his side.

"Ron-san, are you leaving now?" she asked in quiet tone. She did not break her katas and she kept her eyes trained forward, not daring to look at the blond warrior.

"Yeah, the world is going to hell and I really need to go stop that from happening," he replied, pointing his thumb behind him to refer to the outside world.

She nodded. "You're still noble and righteous. I hope you're successful in your fight."

"You could come and help," he offered.

"I'd like to, but I'd need to ask Master Sensei. You're the only ninja that can come and go as you please."

"Oh." He sighed, feeling disappointed. "We could really use the help out there."

"I will ask, but you should not wait for me. It is your honor to save the world. You also honor Kim's memory by acting so bravely."

"But, I can wait."

She shook her head. "Master Sensei does not make these decisions lightly. It could be days before he responds and there is a high chance that he will say 'no.'"

Ron blinked. "He would say no? Even if it meant you saving the world?" he asked incredulously.

"He would not let me leave when the aliens attacked."

His mouth would have hit the ground if it could have. "Did he tell you why?"

"No, he does not have to justify to me or any other ninja around here. I will try my best to join you."

Ron smiled and nodded. "I hope you can come out."

"I do, too. Now, you need to go and do what you are destined to do."

Ron smiled again and surprised her by hugging her. She made a yelp noise, but she returned to the embrace. A small smile graced her features and he felt her sigh. He wondered why she did it, but he did not ask. They held each other for a few seconds and then Ron was gone.

-8-8-8-8-

"Ron, I've got a message for you that's marked as an emergency," Wade reported, speaking through the Kimmunicator that the blond warrior now carried with him at all times.

"Kinda busy now, Wade," Ron grunted as he blocked a bullet with the Lotus Blade. Shego then ran from behind him and leaped at their enemies, knocking down the man that fired at her partner.

"It's from Yori."

"Yori?" he gasped in shock. "What does she want? What does she need?"

"She's going after Monkey Fist. She says he stole a secret parchment and it could be dangerous. She wants your help."

"I'll do that as soon as I'm done here," Ron stated. He locked eyes with Shego, who nodded to show that she understood. They continued on with their battle and Wade did not interrupt them again.

-8-8-8-8-

Ron and Yori met up close to Monkey Fist's mansion. It had been almost a year since they last saw each other, but they were professional enough to hold off on hugging each other. They scouted out the area, trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation.

"You'd think that Monkey Fist would leave this stuff alone after he was turned to stone. How did he get un-stoned, anyway?" Ron asked curiously.

"The spell that held him was never meant to hold him for long, according to Master Sensei," Yori replied.

"Speaking of Master Sensei, he only put you on this?"

She shook her head. "He told me to find you. He believes that we should be more than enough to handle this."

"What? But, Monkey Fist was able to get into the school and take the parchment, so clearly he's capable of a lot," the blond reasoned.

"He is sneaky, yes, but probably not up to fighting. He only just got out of his stone form. He should not be too tough. We just have to hope he does not use the parchment. It contains ninja magic."

"Of course it does," he sighed. _Because why should this be easy and Monkey Fist just want to read old ninja stories or something?_ "Well, let's go get it."

Yori nodded in agreement and they made their move. Slipping into the mansion was the easiest thing that the duo did that night. The whole place was covered in ninja monkeys and they noticed the pair after they were deep into the large house. It was just impossible to get by so many animals, even for two very skilled ninjas.

When they met up with Monkey Fist, things got infinitely worse. It would seem that he had read the parchment. The powers that it had given him did not seem too threatening at first. He was able to block their path by telekinetically moving chairs and things in their way as he fled. It was when they got into his weapons room that things took a turn for the worse and he threw every Eastern weapon that had ever existed at them. At one point he managed to pin them against the wall.

"Really, monkey telekinetics? When in the hell did monkeys become telekinetic?" Ron huffed as he pulled free of the wall, ripping his clothing in the process.

Yori was right behind him, but between the screaming monkeys and flying daggers, they were not able to catch Monkey Fist. They would have continued chasing him forever if necessary, but Yori was called back to mountain as soon as she reported he got away.

"I'm sorry we didn't get him," Ron said.

"Do not be. Master Sensei will send more seasoned warriors after the parchment. It will be fine," she tried to assure him. Ron's typically honest face showed that he did not believe that. He would loathe being right.

-8-8-8-8-

The world was on fire. It was Hell. The Dragons' Eaters War was in full swing. Ron had felt its sting already by losing his parents in a bomb strike from some mad man. Hana had been injured in the blast since it hit the house. Thankfully, the injury was not serious and Ron was not sure if that was luck or it had to do with Hana being some sort of mystical being. Either way, she walked away from the strike, but was now an orphan.

Ron did not have much time to think about that as Yori got in contact with him, telling him there was an emergency at the school. She needed him immediately. He responded by taking Shego's jet without asking; it was only through Shego's great foresight that he knew how to operate the thing.

"I won't fail Yori again," he vowed.

He ended up in the middle of a war zone. Monkey Fist was actually attacking Yamanouchi if the waves of monkey ninjas meant anything. The blond jumped right into the fray, fighting through monkeys and looking for Yori. It was in that battling that he found out Monkey Fist had not just been upgrading himself. His monkey ninjas suddenly had laser vision.

"What the hell? Since when does laser vision go hand in hand with monkeys?" Ron huffed. _Why does nothing in monkey kung-fu have to do with monkeys beyond the actual freaking monkeys?_ He made his way through the deadly creatures while trying to find Yori in the chaos. Yori actually found him.

"Ron-san, thank you for coming. Monkey Fist is trying to conquer the school and plunder our secrets. He went into Master Sensei's home," she informed him, pointing to the building.

He nodded and took off for the structure. He cut a path through the monkeys that got in his way. He smelled smoke the second that he entered the building, but ignored it even as it got hotter as he moved deeper into the place. He ran right into the flames as he entered Master Sensei's personal chambers.

The sound of the flames crackling and the wooden structure splintering drowned out the actions at the head of the room. Monkey Fist was fighting with Master Sensei. The two warriors went at each other with blazing ferocity, but it was the end of the battle.

Monkey Fist moved a bit of debris that was on fire with his newly found telekinetic powers and it almost slammed the master in the head, but he blocked. The debris turned out to be a distraction, giving Monkey Fist a precious moment to stab Master Sensei in the chest with a kunai.

"Sensei!" Ron screamed as he charged into the fray, slashing at Monkey Fist with the Lotus Blade to get the villain away from the wounded master.

Monkey Fist was taken by surprise, but managed to get out of the way. He was about to counter, but the ceiling collapsed. Monkey Fist took off, getting out of the burning building. Ron was about to go after him, but Master Sensei groaned and the blond turned to him.

"I got you, Master Sensei," Ron assured the elderly man as he gently lifted the injured body.

Ron managed to pull Master Sensei to safety. As he was coming out, he scanned the area for some trace of Monkey Fist. The mutant was gone and his monkey soldiers were retreating.

"Why is he leaving? He's kicking our butts," Ron commented.

"He only wants the treasures and he thinks those are burning," Master Sensei wheezed.

"Are they?"

Master Sensei opened his mouth to respond, but could not. He ended up shaking his head. Ron was not sure what to do as the monkeys retreated and the Yamanouchi ninja noticed their fallen master.

"Ron-san, what happened to Master Sensei?" Yori asked as she rushed to his side.

"Monkey Fist happened. He stabbed Master Sensei! I need help!" Ron called, knowing there were medics somewhere in the ninja ranks. Those few warriors pushed forward to assist.

Master Sensei shook his head. "No time. More injuries," he hissed and then he locked eyes with Ron. "That man can't get any more artifacts or manuals. He will get too powerful. The world would be in danger."

Ron nodded to show that he understood and then Master Sensei died in his arms. The blond stiffened, unsure what to do with himself. He had never had someone die in his arms, but he had failed someone else important. He had failed again. He was not sure who took the body from him. He was not sure about anything for a while, not even if he should go home. He stayed at Yamanouchi.

Yori did her best to take care of the shell-shocked ninja. Ron did not have long to be stunned as Monkey Fist attacked again less than a month later. Ron stood against him and showed him just how proficient he was in Tai Shing Pek Quar. Monkey Fist ended up retreating again. But, they all knew that he would be back.

-8-8-8-8-

"Thanks for bringing Hana for me," Ron said to Shego as she handed the little girl over. Shego had flown out to Japan just to reunite the siblings. Hana ran to her brother and leaped into his arms with a happy cheer.

"No problem. You sure you want to stay here?" Shego asked as she looked around the school. The ninjas were fixing the destruction from Monkey Fist's last couple of assaults.

Ron nodded. "I have to make sure Monkey Fist doesn't get his hands on anything else. He's already insane, got an army of monkey ninjas, and now knows magic. We can't risk him getting more or he'll be the Dragon ruling the world."

"Okay, if you think this is the right thing. Don't be scared to call if you need me. I eat Dragons for breakfast," she remarked with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, the Kimmunicator works both ways. If you need me, let me know. I'm not abandoning you."

"I know you're not. You're helping by making sure we don't have a powerful Dragon roaming the Earth. That's more than enough."

Ron nodded and he turned, walking off into the school. Yori was by his side moments later. Despite the conditions of the world, or maybe because of her knowledge, Shego smiled at the sight of the trio as they disappeared in a crowd.

-8-8-8-8-

Yori took responsibility of Hana along with Ron. The kunoichi was overjoyed that the child was back at the school, back in her life. Hana took to Yori immediately, not really remembering her, but feeling the familiarity between them. Ron was grateful that their relationship gave him one less thing to worry about.

They had a short reprieve before Monkey Fist showed up again. Yori had prepared for the battle beyond fight training. She had a hiding place for Hana to keep her safe.

"Remember how we practiced, Hana-chan?" Yori asked as she tucked the small child into a tiny crawl space on the side of the mountain.

The little girl nodded. "Gotta be quiet and not move until you or onii-san comes." She had picked up on Japanese easily and had taken to referring to Ron by the Japanese word for "brother" instead of his name.

"Such a good little girl," Yori praised the child and kissed Hana's forehead before pushing a rock in front Hana's hiding place.

Yori went off to fight and returned to Hana as soon as she could. It would be a routine for them whenever Monkey Fist attacked. Ron appreciated the hiding place and the fact that Hana trusted Yori and listened to Yori since Monkey Fist attacked often. Yori always made sure Hana was protected. Ron, in return, always made sure Yori was safe.

Little did Ron realize, but Yori took care of more Stoppables than just Hana. Yori was the one that made certain that Ron did not work himself to death, made sure he ate, showered, and several other little things. By the time Ron noticed her effort, it had been months since she started.

"Thanks for all of the support," Ron said out of the blue as they sat down for dinner. They ate in private, as did most of the school now. It was a chance for all of them to decompress.

Yori gave him a curious look. "Why are you thanking me? This is my honor," she said with a smile, as if she was making a joke. She then turned to Hana, who had fallen asleep as soon as she finished eating. She rubbed the child's back, just because she knew that Hana liked it.

Ron managed a laugh for the first time in a long time. "Then this is my honor," he remarked as he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to Yori's lips.

Yori yelped in surprise as his lips touched hers, but she quickly got into the swing of things. She returned the kiss to the best of her limited ability. She let out a disappointed mewl as he pulled away.

"What was that, Ron-san?" Yori asked in a low, dazed tone.

"I should've done that a long time ago. You know, I look at you sometimes and you make me remember that I have a heart. You are my heart and my soul. You've kept me alive, Yori," he replied in a soft tone.

"It has been my honor …" the kunoichi said with a smile. "Well, that and you make me warm."

Ron smiled, too. He could not believe that it took him so long to notice that Yori was the only person keeping him together, the only person keeping him sane. She made him feel human. She was his reason to get up in the morning and to not just lie down and die.

"I love you," Ron realized, speaking aloud.

And Yori's smile grew. "I love you, too."

They leaned over to each other and kissed again. Ron smiled against her lips, disbelieving how right it felt to kiss Yori. _I want to do this for the rest of my life_.

-8-8-8-8-

The rest of Yori's life proved to be very short. A few years later Monkey Fist attacked again and Yori was over eight months pregnant. Monkey Fist was still insistent on stealing from the school and each time he showed up a little more powerful, but Ron always stopped him. That day Ron was the loser, even though Monkey Fist would be the one retreating as always.

Yori was much slower than usual because of her pregnancy and Monkey Fist had learned that she was important to the ninja that kept making a fool out of him. He targeted her, no doubt about that. He waited until her back was to him before striking. She barely made a sound as his sword slid into her chest and he wisely left before Ron noticed the fatally wounded shinobi.

"Yori-nee?" Hana called as the battle waned. She was old enough to fight now and she insisted on defending her home with everyone else. She was the one that spotted Yori, bleeding out on the ground. "Yori-nee!"

Hana slid down next to the woman that she had come to view as a big sister, best friend, and mother rolled up in one. Tearing her clothes, she used the cloth to cover and put pressure on the wound. She screamed for help and for her brother while begging for Yori to hang on.

"Please, Yori-nee, just wait. You'll be okay, you'll be okay," Hana repeated over and over again. Tears gathered in her eyes and burned their way down her face.

"Shh …" Yori forced out a small smile. "Don't cry, Hana-chan. Don't cry," she implored in a whispered tone. She tried to bring her hand up to touch Hana's cheek, but she could not move her hand enough.

"I won't cry, but you gotta be okay!" Hana bawled.

Ron rushed over as soon as he noticed the pair. He dropped down to them and cradled them both to him as if to protect them. His eyes were wild as he took in the sight his wounded wife.

"Yori, hold on, baby. Just hold on," he pled. "We need help over here! Help, medic! Medic!" he screamed with tears welled up in his eyes. He held her tighter. "Help! Help!"

Eventually his frantic cries were answered and a medic showed up. Ron and Hana were shoved aside to allow the doctors space for them to work on Yori. They quickly took her to the nearest clean room. Ron and Hana followed, standing in a corner. An eternity seemed to pass as they waited.

When the sounds of a baby crying echoed through the room, Ron rushed over to see what was happening. Yori had a weary smile on her face as she clutched a wailing newborn to her bosom. She looked up and locked eyes with Ron. Onyx on cocoa seemed to last forever, but also less than a second. In that moment, Ron watched as the light faded from Yori's beautiful eyes until it was gone, until she was gone.

Ron dropped to his knees and his screams drowned out the baby's cries. It felt like the whole world shifted underneath him. It was then that he finally realized nothing would ever be the same.

-8-8-8-8-

Battling Monkey Fist was beyond routine by now. He continued to acquire mystical powers, but never could overcome Ron to get to the true secrets of their shared art. The closest that he had come was attacking right after Yori died as Ron had been in a huge depression. Hana had stepped up to the plate that time. It had been quite the embarrassing defeat for Monkey Fist.

What would be Monkey Fist's final assault was unusual. He attacked with modern weapons, finding the dark arts were not getting him what he desired. Shego was chasing him because he had stolen military weapons, but she was not going to be the one to get him.

Monkey Fist showed up with plans to play for keeps and had a target in mind. While his monkey minions practically razed the school to the ground, Monkey Fist searched for Ron's one weakness. If he could get Ron back to his depressed state of mind, he would be able to destroy him. Monkey Fist then made the last move of his life.

Monkey Fist locked into Ron's last piece of sanity and laughed maniacally. "You really shouldn't have your son wear all white on a battlefield. It makes him stand out," he snickered as he took aim with a high-powered rifle.

Ron noticed the weapon trained on his son the instant that it was raised. Monkey Fist, however, never noticed the mystical monkey master move. The rage that burned in Ron could have consumed the sun. Monkey Fist had taken his master and his wife, had made him an utter failure in all aspects of life as far as he was concerned. _And now the bastard thinks he can take my son? Thinks he can just point a gun at my last gift from my dearest Yori? Thinks he can have Ryujin's life and I'll just accept that? Fuck that!_

Ron appeared in a puff of blue mist, getting in between Monkey Fist and Ryujin. His eyes glowed a blazing light cerulean and a halo colored like the sky surrounded him. Monkey Fist did not even have time to gasp as Ron ripped his throat open with one hand.

Monkey Fist's eyes went wide and his hands went to his neck as a choking noise tried to escape his mouth. As he dropped to his knees, his gaze went to Ron, who loomed over him without remorse. Before the world faded, Monkey Fist noted behind Ron stood his son with a look of sheer terror. Was it because his father had killed someone or did he realize how close he came to being reunited with his mother? Monkey Fist would never know.

-8-8-8-8-

In a corner, not far from the scene, Shego smiled. She knew what Monkey Fist had put Ron through and he deserved his fate. It was also good to know that Ron had that in him because it was what he would need to survive in the real world and she needed him back in the real world since the threat to Yamanouchi was now polluting the soil with his blood.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shadow Hand tries to figure out why Kim called him by name and Kim hangs out with Bonnie for their checkups.

This chapter is based on this picture (take out the parenthesis): (yogurthfrost.)(deviantart.)(com/)(art/)WHAT-IF-Scene-Ron-lost-42401674


	38. 4:1: Shots fired

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.1: Shots fired

Kim went to her apartment and discovered that it was totally clean. She had started the task of cleaning a mess that she had made when Shego was trying to help her get her memories back. She had gotten sidetracked when she gave in and sat down to look through all of the items that Shego left. It proved to be the smart move as her memories slowly came back, especially after she stopped fighting against them. There were still gaps, but she knew that and knew that she had to work on filling them.

"Hey, Bonnie, thanks for cleaning up," Kim called through the place.

"It was no problem. How did things go with Shego?" Bonnie replied, her voice coming from the kitchen.

Kim stepped over to the kitchen to speak with Bonnie face to face. "They went good. We're both in a better place now that we've at least started a dialogue and everything." She actually smiled because of that news. _I'm happy be getting along with Shego? Who knew!_

"I can't believe you treated Shego badly, but accepted me like I didn't do anything wrong. Shego's the world's Savior and I'm the Devil's wife."

"Hey, you're not guilty by association. Shego made that perfectly clear. She doesn't even recognize your marriage and neither do I. On this side of the world, you are Bonnie Rockwaller. Okay?" Kim pinned Bonnie with her stern gaze.

Bonnie nodded. "I know. I'm very grateful, but this is part of my point."

"I know. I get what you're saying. Really that shouldn't have been my first clue, but her pretty much giving you amnesty in front of everyone to make sure no one hurt you or gave you a hard time should've convinced me that this wasn't the Shego I wanted so desperately to make her out to be. This place was … is a huge adjustment for me," Kim admitted with a sheepish smile. _I've got to start adapting better, too. I can't keep acting like I know what's going on_ _when everyone knows I don't have a clue_.

"That makes two of us," Bonnie said with a smile of her own. "It feels good to be able to smile and not have to worry about Junior asking why I'm smiling and then telling me about how he'll give me something to smile about." Bonnie shuddered and turned her attention away from dinner in favor of wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

"Hey," Kim said as she put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "Stay here. Stay with me. Don't go back to that dark place. He's not here," she reminded the shivering woman.

Bonnie nodded. "Thanks. This reminded me, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Will you come with me?"

"Of course. I doubt Trin'll have bad news, though."

"I know, but I still get nervous. Who knows what might sneak up on me? I mean, I was with him for twenty years and he did so many things." Bonnie shuddered and her eyes went wide.

Kim acted quickly, putting her arm around Bonnie and slightly shaking her free of her demons. "I think Trin knows since she is the expert doctor and all and she all but said you're out of the woods. Everything's fine, so stop thinking negative."

Bonnie laughed. "Damn you and your positive attitude."

"Gotta stay positive to stay sane. Now, what's this you're making?" Kim asked, moving deeper into the kitchen to see what was on the stove.

Turquoise eyes turned back to the pot. "Well, I followed the directions for chicken stew, but I'm not sure if the bird I got was chicken. I hope it tastes all right."

Kim smiled. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Before I came back here, I was living off of stuff in the wild. Trust me, everything here is better."

Bonnie laughed and nodded. "I know the feeling." And then suddenly, a serious expression overtook her face.

"You know you can talk about it with me," the redhead said softly.

There was a slight nod before Bonnie could speak again. "He actually gave me really good food for a while. It was probably a dozen years ago. The best of everything. Looking at how people struggle around here makes me almost ashamed of how I ate back then."

"Don't be ashamed. Everybody has their own struggles. Besides, he was serving you good food just as another means of torture. It was a way to mess with your mind."

Bonnie sighed. "I know … It worked. It wasn't like he was giving me this stuff to be nice because there were still beatings and rapes and other horrible tortures, but then there was this other stuff that was great. I never knew what the hell it meant."

"Don't worry. You don't have to think about what it meant or what he was trying to do. It'll get better with time."

"I know. It has already," Bonnie assured her friend in a quiet tone. Kim smiled and nodded in agreement with that sentiment.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was smiling and she knew that she was. She could not stop and, really, she did not want to stop. Smiling felt really good, wonderful even. It had been far too long since she felt like that. The genuine, light emotion fluttered in her system and brightened her gaze.

"You keep smiling like that and someone's going to think you got laid. And you know Trin won't take that well," Wade teased as he appeared before Shego on a floating screen.

Shego snickered. "Hey, she's the one always suggesting that I need to get laid."

"That she is. You didn't, though, right?" he asked to be sure.

"Still as virginal as ever."

He chuckled. "You or Kim?"

"Don't way about that."

He shrugged. "I think it's safe to assume that something's going right in your life since you're smiling for, like, the first time in the history of history. Plus, you're talking to me again, which I count as a plus for now."

She scoffed. "I won't be for long if you're going to play around and try to get into my personal business. Now, do you want something or need to report something or are you just here to piss me off?"

"Bad news, unfortunately. We still haven't been able to get the Toltec online. It might just need a break or something."

Shaking her head, the western ruler sighed. "That only works out if Junior doesn't attack use while the suit's having a nap. Can Kim pilot one of the others just in case?"

"No, they seen to pick the one person they want and that's just it. I just want you to be aware in case something happens you know not to plan for the Toltec showing up."

"That's good to know. Keep working at it."

"You know I will. You lose the 'I just got lucky' smile before Trin wanders in," he chuckled.

Shego grunted as the screen vanished. She turned attention back to work, not even thinking about her smile. But, she sensed a disturbance in the force. Emerald eyes glanced up and to the left.

"You got something to say, Shadow Hand?" she asked. She could feel his eyes on her, but there was something more that she could not put her finger on.

"Nothing I can think of, except wondering when and why you thought it was okay to tell Kim who I am," he replied. "I know you want to help her and all, but it wasn't your place to tell."

She scoffed. "You need to pull your head out of your ass, pal. Will you just admit she's got your number and go talk to her? You're not me. She's not going to rip you asunder," she remarked with an amused glint in her eyes.

He grunted, but did not say anything further. She gathered his silence came from the fact that he knew she had not told Kim a damn thing. He had to know Kim was too smart to not figure out who he was.

"Maybe it's time for you to talk to her," Shego suggested in low tone as she turned back to her work.

"Maybe you should stop suggesting that," he huffed.

The pale ruler curled her lip, but did not say anything more to her bodyguard. She only focused on her work for the first time in a long time. She figured that she would get her work done and then tomorrow she would reward herself with some time with her Princess. _Get some sweets or something_. Her smile grew at the thought.

"Stop smiling," Shadow Hand huffed, speaking under his breath.

"Stop trying to piss me off. I'm gonna keep smiling. You stop being pissy. In fact, you're dismissed. Go do something productive. Talk to somebody about what you should do about your attitude. At least I never gave up."

Shadow Hand snarled, but he did as ordered. He and his attitude vanished in a puff of mist. Shego's smile remained unchecked, even though she was a bit worried about her bodyguard. He was tormenting himself because he had no clue what he wanted to do with Kim.

"As long as he doesn't want the same thing as I do," she mumbled.

Of course, she knew it was unlikely that she would get what she most desired, but that was fine by her. Kim was alive, well, and willing to at least resume their friendship. Apparently, something was going her way.

"It's about freaking time," she remarked under her breath. With that on her mind, she was able to push through her work.

-8-8-8-8-

Shadow Hand wandered the Obsidian Manor, stalking the shadows and running from his thoughts. Like Shego, he could not help wondering what _he_ wanted from Kim. He did not know what he wanted. He did not understand all of the feelings that he burned through him.

"I should feel happy, which I do, but there's so much more when really there should be nothing. I shouldn't feel anything at all anymore," he growled.

Emotions and feelings had died within in him many years ago … or so he thought. He had never been numb or filled with anger. If anything, he would say that he was empty. He had been totally used up years ago, but now it seemed like he was wrong.

"Do I want to be wrong?" he wondered aloud.

"Talking to yourself? I thought I was the only person that did that out loud," Shadow Eyes remarked as she seemed to drop out of the sky beside him. She lacked her face covering, so he saw that she was grinning.

"You obviously don't know our fearless leader well," Shadow Hand countered. _Shego talks to herself, argues with herself, answers herself. Totally out of her mind_. _Of course, it seems I'm not far behind_.

Shadow Eyes smiled more. "The Savior talks to herself? At least I'm in good company. So, what's got you out here losing your mind?"

He waved her off. "It's none of your business and if I tell you every ninja'll know within the hour and then every Guard'll know within two hours. So, I think I'll keep it to myself to figure it out."

"Aw!" she actually pouted. "Way harsh!"

"You've been hanging out with Kim too much."

She snickered. "Funny you'd say that."

Brown eyes glared daggers at the smaller ninja. "Don't you have training to do?"

"Helping you is way more important than training!" she proclaimed, throwing her hands up to the sky.

"I don't need your help," he assured her in a calm tone.

"Your face doesn't say that," she quipped, giggling a bit at the lead shinobi.

He glared at her again. "Did you already try to help me by telling Kim who I am?"

Hana's face scrunched up. "Why would I do that? I blab about a lot of things, but I've never in my life betrayed a secret. I might start rumors, but I never drop secrets."

He did not argue that because as far as he knew that was the truth. Hana liked to run her mouth, but typically her gossip was just that. She did not make it a point to start trouble or drama with her mouth; of course, that did not mean that did not happen. She did not tell secrets, though, because she knew all too well how a guarded secret could save lives or a slipped tidbit could cost lives.

"Kim's a smart person and she's been asking around about her best friend. No one has said that best friend died or anything like that. She noticed I'm still hanging around and her new best friend looks a lot like her old best friend, so he's possibly close by," Hana reasoned.

He snorted. "And from those few clues I'm supposed to believe she just figured it out on her own?"

Dark eyes regarded him as if he were crazy. "This is the Legend, the woman that can do anything, and the daughter and sister of some of the greatest minds of our time. So, yeah, I think you should believe that."

He grunted. "She's not a god," he felt the need to point out.

"No, she's pretty human and so are you, which is why you should talk to her. It'll really do you both some good. She really misses you."

He snorted. "She doesn't know me. Don't tell her anything about me either."

Shadow Eyes held her hands up in surrender. "I haven't and I won't. That's for you to take care of. It's your peace of mind."

"Anyway, is there a reason you're out here?"

"Nope. Just out here, wandering. Actually, I was on my way to get something to eat. You want to come? It'll take your mind off of everything. I know how you like to eat." It was probably the one thing that had not changed about him.

Shadow Hand nodded, accepting the offer because he was hungry and food would shut Hana up. He might be able to figure out what he needed to do. He would try to figure out his reemerging emotions.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie and Kim arrived at Trin's examination room for their appointments. Trin did not say anything to them and motioned for them to sit down. She let them decide on who would go first. Bonnie ended being the one on the examination table first. Trin worked quietly until it was absolutely necessary for her to do so.

"How are you feeling? Anything hurts or stings or anything?" the blonde doctor asked, focusing on Bonnie's shoulder. Junior had heavily damaged the muscles and bones over the years and Bonnie had complained of pain after many of her other injuries had healed.

"It still hurts when I have to reach over my head," Bonnie answered.

Trin hummed in thought. "I'll give you a balm for it," she decided and glanced at Kim. "You'll be all right rubbing a balm on her shoulder every night until the jar is empty?"

Kim waved if off. "I'll take care of her," she promised as she did every time she was asked to do something for her friend.

"How will a balm cure my shoulder?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"It won't. Your shoulder's still healing. The balm will help the process, which is just being slowed because you're using your shoulder. It'll be fine. Anything else still having lingering pain? How's the kneecap?" Trin as her hand went to the aforementioned body part. Of course, it was not Bonnie's real kneecap anymore, but a replacement.

"It still gets sore when I walk a lot," Bonnie admitted.

Trin nodded. "It should be replaced. Are you willing to have the surgery?"

"You're the doctor. Do you think I should?"

"I wouldn't bring it up otherwise. I want to replace everything done while you were with Junior," the blonde replied. Nothing Junior had done medically for Bonnie was for anything beyond keeping her alive for him to continue abusing her. She had learned to live with the constant physical pain, but that was no longer necessary.

"Do you have the time for that? You can't get started on things like that and not finish," Kim pointed out.

"I know, which is why I haven't gotten started, but we can't worry about time forever. Something can always come up. We really should start removing everything done by Junior's medical team. We can restore movement to a lot of your body parts and get rid of a lot of the pain that you're experiencing."

Turquoise eyes lit up. "Really? You could do that?"

Trin nodded. "Certainly. So, whenever you're ready to fix things up, let me know and I'll get the team together."

"Okay," Bonnie agreed.

The doctor turned her attention down to her notes for a second and then turned her attention to her sister. Kim knew that meant it was her turn on the exam table. She and Bonnie switched positions. Kim's checkup went much faster than Bonnie's, but just as silent. Kim was physically perfect as far as she and Trin were concerned, but Trin preferred to keep a close eye on the redhead.

"Anything hurt or bothering you?" the blonde asked.

"Nope, no problems," Kim reported with a happy smile.

"No recent injuries from battle?"

The younger Possible shook her head. "Not unless you heal wounded pride."

"If I did, I'd have a lot more patients. How are the memories coming along? Should I do another MRI?"

Kim beamed. "No, my memories have been coming back steadily and I've stopped fighting them, just accepting that's how I was and how things happened. I even had hot chocolate with Shego yesterday."

Trin's face twitched, almost as if she were impressed. "Good to know. I'm going to set your next appointment a month from now, barring any surprises. Bonnie, I want to see you a week from now. Tell me if anything hurts more than usual. I want you to act in a more natural way from now on, so we can pinpoint what really bothers you and we can focus on those things."

Bonnie nodded and the pair of friends left after Trin gave them the balm for Bonnie's shoulder. They walked around, mostly because Bonnie was supposed to exercise daily to help strengthen her body. After a while, Bonnie needed to rest, so they sat on a bench.

"You okay?" Kim asked.

"Fine," Bonnie replied and then she forced out a small smile. "Kim, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Bonnie. We've been over this. You can talk to me about anything."

Slowly, Bonnie nodded. "I know, but I don't want to upset or offend you."

"You won't," Kim tried to assure her. She took Bonnie's hand in her own. Bonnie could not help looking down at their hands and the hero noticed. "Does if bother you when I touch you or at least do it without asking your permission?" Kim was very aware that sometimes victims of abuse did not like being touched.

"Uh … no, I don't mind. I trust you and I know you're not going to hurt me. You're not him," Bonnie replied. "You're not Junior."

Kim smiled slightly. "But, it wasn't just Junior."

"Yeah, but you're not any of those people either. You're you. You're the Kim Possible you've always been. Kind, forgiving, and a hero. I know I'm safe with you."

"I'm glad you feel that way. Actually, I hope you feel that way about everyone here," Kim said. "Everyone here wants you to be safe."

Bonnie nodded and was silent. Her eyes drifted back down to their joined hands. Her pinkie moved a bit, as if caressing Kim's hand. The redhead did not think anything of it. There were too many different reasons that Bonnie could have been doing that. Kim did not comment on the act and just let Bonnie do what she was doing.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was finishing some work and planning to have a drink with Kim as soon as she was done, but that quickly became a dream. Wade appeared on a screen before her as their alarm began blaring. The western ruler sighed.

"Junior again? He just attacked a freaking week ago," Shego complained.

"Well, we know he has more troops now with the drones. We're not going to have the Toltec. It's still not online," Wade reported.

"Shit. Arm Kim with something since we both know she's going to come no matter what."

"You got it."

The screen vanished and Shego was left to dish out orders for the upcoming battle. As soon as she could, she left for the killing fields, as she grimly thought of battlefields. Her losses were always too great for her to consider the battles anything other than a slaughter, even if she won.

Troops were mobilized and units were sent out. Junior had once again targeted a weak section of the land of Kimber. It was not one of the refugee islands, but one of the smaller villages. They knew from past experiences that Junior had no problem with wiping villages off of the map.

"I'll bitch slap him before I let him kill another hundred innocent people," Shego vowed with a deep growl.

Arriving at the battlefield, the western ruler made sure to intercept Junior's forces before they made it to the village, which was being evacuated. From the air, Shego scanned the troops that Junior sent it. It looked like another wave of mixed forces – Bebes and drones.

"Fuck," the pale woman snarled as she dived out the plane. Igniting her whole body, she pretty much bombed their enemies with her own plasma-charged form.

The explosion that she created acted as a signal to her soldiers. Her units, under their commanders, attacked the areas that they had been ordered to hit. Kim charged in with Joss; both of them were with the ninjas for battle, even though Joss typically went off with Trin's troops.

The drones were wearing the same armor as before, so they were the same threat level as before. There seemed to be more Bebes than the last time, though. Junior had either managed to make more of the robots or had released more than the last time. Still, Shego's side fought as hard as always.

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim, duck!" Ryujin shouted before swinging his sword right where his aunt's head had been before she dropped down. He sliced through three drones that had been set to attack Kim's side.

Kim, meanwhile, swept the legs of several Bebes with a special staff that Wade supplied her with since the Toltec was down. The Bebes had been closing in on them, but the redheaded hero was able to stop them. As she popped back up, Ryujin turned his attention to other enemies. Kim ended up near her cousin again and fought back to back with Joss.

"It's like dancing," Joss chuckled as she fired shots at Bebes. As deadly as she was at martial arts, the auburn-haired warrior's favorite weapons were her handguns. The expulsive ammo was enough to stop Bebes if she aimed carefully enough. No matter what, if she hit a Bebe, the robot was at least slowed down.

"I don't remember 'shots fired' being a dance move," Kim remarked as she dropped a few drones using the energized tip of her staff. Wade had designed the weapon to get three different heat blades when she twisted the shaft a certain way. So, she had a spear tip, axe head, and a long blade.

The cousins were taking care of their area and handling their enemies when a familiar jet flew overhead. The pair had to dive for cover as the jet fired several shots of green energy. Joss growled and pulled a large rifle that had been attached to her back.

"Come on back around, so I can knock your ass right outta the damn sky," Joss said and she quickly got her wish.

The jet came in for another sweep, firing on the two Possibles again. Joss wasted no time returning fire, even when she had to roll out of the way of some of the ground troops. Kim moved to defend her cousin while Joss tried to shoot down the jet. The plane eventually got out range.

"It's coming back around!" the redhead called and decided to help Joss in her effort. Kim was not outfitted with heavy caliber projectile weapons, but she believed that every little bit helped. She had been given a wristband that carried weapons. She fired razor sharp discs from her wrist while Joss let loose several more shots.

"I got you now, you son of a bitch," Joss whispered as she got a feel for the aircraft's movements. Shooting one last time, the fierce warrior hit her target.

Joss' shot clipped the wing of the jet and knocked it balance. As if looked like the plane was going to crash, the suit transformed as it hit the dirt. Kim was running toward it before Joss even knew what was going on. Kim leaped at the suit and cracked the operator across the head with her bo. Her enemy fell off balance, but did not go down. Gloved hands ignited, glowing with bouncing green energy, and Kim could only wonder what she was dealing with.

"Maybe the gloves mimic Shego's powers," Kim considered as she dodged the blazing hands with surprising ease. She countered, finding her target not very difficult to fight with on the ground. The armor seemed to slow her enemy down.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was finding out something similar with the other jet. It had taken a shockingly low tech weapon to ground Junior's latest deadly weapon. A group of griffins, deigned by Amy of course, took the thing by surprise and used their razor sharp talons to literally tear the jet out of the air. The plane landed right next to Shego and was already transformed by then. Hands flashed and the two faced off.

"You know, your plasma's just a cheap knockoff. Nothing ever compares to the original," Shego remarked with a smirk, turning her powers up a notch just for display purposes.

"I am the original. I'm the first one!" her opponent hollered before charging the western ruler.

Shego dodged every attack and countered with her own. Her plasma came into contact with an electronic shield. Snarling, she pushed her powers higher. The shield crackled and popped, but the super-powered woman did not get a chance to push further. Her opponent swung for the pale woman's head and Shego had to move out of the way.

As Shego settled her footing, her enemy came at her with a vengeance, slicing at the air with the intent of decapitating the former thief. Bobbing and weaving, each hit whizzed by Shego. Just as Shego flared her hands higher, planning to simply tear through the shield and suit, but did not get the chance. A retreat was obviously called as all of Junior's troops withdrew. Shego's opponent was gone almost as fast as the super speed moving Bebes.

"What the hell was that? The plasma caught me by surprise the first time, but whoever the hell that was has lost any edge. The suit makes him slow and his moves aren't complex enough to deal with me. Not to mention, his plasma is weak as fuck," Shego said.

-8-8-8-8-

"Why'd you call a retreat?" Kigo-one demanded.

"You don't question me! You only obey my orders! You and the other one need more training in the armor. I can see that in the footage already," Junior stated. He had called the retreat because Kigo-two was losing to Kim, even with the Bebes helping and Kigo-one had not been doing much better against Shego. Beside, they had done enough damage. Now, the retreat would leave Shego wondering what the hell he was up to.

The communication was cut. Kigo-one was left to a few curious thoughts, like if she was the first then how was there someone older than she was with the plasma powers? She would find out and then show that imposter what real power was.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Junior attacks again and that battle doesn't end how any of them expect it.


	39. 4:2: Nosedive

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I don't own Bugs Bunny or Street Fighter or the "Hadoken."

I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.2: Nosedive

Shego called for a meeting with the Elect as soon as they got back to the Headquarters. She did not even give them time to have their wounds looked at and, considering the fact that the doctor amongst them had a bloody face, medical attention would have been greatly appreciated. Instead, they gathered in the closest conference room that would hold all of them. Shin snickered and pointed at Trin as she filed in. She wasted no time slapping him to shut him up.

"What the fuck, man!" the ninja hollered as his hand went to his cheek. "Not cool, shrew! Totally not cool!" he whined. The blond merely rolled her eyes to his agony.

"How the hell did that happen to you?" Wade asked as he noticed Trin's half crimson visage.

"Fucking shrapnel," Trin answered with a growl. She was not feeling lightheaded yet, but she knew that she was going to have to take care of the wound just from the way everyone was looking at her.

"You think that's bad? Check this out," Hana commented and she slowly peeled away her ninja mask to reveal a massive hole in her cheek. The people in the room barely blinked, but they did stare. The gruesomeness was not shocking, but the fact that their top warriors were wounded warranted some attention.

"How did that happen?" Shadow Hand demanded as he leaned down to inspect the injury.

"It's a war. Sometimes people get hurt, even well trained, deadly ninja assassins," Shin pointed out.

"Isn't the term 'ninja assassin' redundant?" Joss pondered aloud.

"Do all of our emergency meetings have to start out as a huge joke fest? Sit down and shut up," Shego playfully ordered while taking her own advice. She then noticed Kim floundering at the door, as if unsure if she were invited in. "That goes for you, too, Cupcake. And, Doctor Blondie, take care of the gossip queen while we have this meeting."

Kim obeyed and took a seat between Ryujin and Joss. Trin went into her medical kit while Hana took a seat. Once everyone was down, they turned their attention to Shego.

"I think Junior's trying to overwhelm us while playing little mind games to trip us up," Shego stated. "He's got these two new variables – the drones and those jets. He's doing live tests right now, seeing what he can get away with, seeing what they can do. But, he's also giving us glimpses of what he can do. What have we noticed and what can we use?"

"The drones," Hana grunted out, only to earn a silencing glare from the doctor working on her cheek. She supposed that she was going to have to eventually admit to having bruises on her back and let Trin work on those.

"The drones are a bigger problem than we thought," Ryujin said for his aunt. "We thought of them like ants, but it's more like an ant colony. While you're busy dealing with one group, another is piling up behind you. Basically, they get you through numbers."

"Or you get caught up dealing with the 'real' threat and they side swipe ya while you got a bunch of Bebes in front of you," Joss added.

"Agreed, so what do we do?" Shego asked the room.

"We need a more effective weapon against them," Trin replied while wiping away some blood in her eye.

"What do you got in mind, Blondie?" the leader asked.

Trin shrugged and glanced at Shin, who wasted no time picking up the slack. "We need something that's like a spray that'll wipe out a bunch of them at once. It's in the infancy stage, still in our heads."

"And when will you be giving birth to it?" Shego remarked with a half-smile, even though her question was quite serious.

"Now you're asking for me to gaze into future. That one I don't know yet," Shin admitted with a shrug.

Shego nodded. "Okay, well, you two need to get on that. Amy, help 'em out if necessary," she ordered and waited for DNAmy to nod before moving on. "Anybody else? Wade, what about you and wifey? The work you did together with those griffins worked well."

"Putting the titanium on their claws?" Wade guessed since that was all he really did as far his work on the creatures.

"They ripped through the jet fighting with me with no problem. Made my life a whole easier. Can we do more of that?" Shego requested.

Amy shrugged. "I don't see why not. As long as my cuddly bear has the metal, we should be able to do it."

"Do we have the metal?" Shego asked.

"Tons of it," Wade assured her.

"Okay, and excuse me as my geek starts to show, but, Wade if you can make mech suits, what about putting metal on the skeletons of at least some of our animal troops. Spare your wife the heartache of having to bury her creations," Shego commented.

"You know, as much as I'd like life to be like the comics, I think the only person around here that could survive that sort of madness would be you, Wolverine," Wade teased the pale woman.

Shego scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Just a thought. Anyway, anything else?"

"I faced off against a jet again and saw the plasma. Do we know how the plasma is being made? I thought it might be the gloves on that particular armor," Kim said.

"I'm not sure. You might be onto something. Drakken did think my powers was in the gloves when we first met," Shego recollected. "Maybe he found someway to make gloves that mimic my plasma. I like that idea more than the others we threw around. We need to do something about that. While the plasma isn't powerful and the pilot isn't creative, it's still dangerous."

"The pilot could get better, but I think the armor actually slows them down," the redheaded hero said.

"I noticed that, too. The person or robot or whatever the hell it is isn't very skilled either," Shego commented.

"So, why are you two having problems with them?" Wade asked curiously.

"Between the shield, plasma, other weapons, and some skills, they're not push-overs. The suits make up for what they lack," the leader explained. "You need to get the Toltec up and running. I feel like this is gonna get way worse."

"Tatsu's been on that all day," Wade reported. "I'll go help as soon as we're done here."

"Sounds good. What else do we have?" Shego demanded. The meeting continued. Trin was able to patch Hana up and work on herself as best she could before they were all allowed to leave. They all hoped that they would be ready for Junior's next assault.

-8-8-8-8-

"Hey, Tatsu, how's it going with the Toltec?" Wade called as he entered the Paladin workshop.

Tatsu scoffed and did not bother to look up. She was hunched over her laptop, which was connected to the Toltec. Wade walked up behind her to see what she had managed. He nodded, but his face was scrunched up.

"This is interesting," Wade said and he pointed to an area at the top of the screen. She was going through all of the Toltec's systems to see what was causing the shut down and he noticed subtle piece of something that should not have been there. "Can I see?"

"Feel free." She moved the computer and let him take over. Yawning and stretching, Tatsu ended up behind Wade to see what he was doing.

"Did you try this already?" he asked curiously.

"Nope. I didn't even see that."

He nodded and continued working. She remained over his shoulder, but after a while, she reached over him to take over the keyboard. Eventually, he did the same thing to her. They worked like that for an undetermined amount of time, tension pulling at their faces. And then their expressions changed – their eyes opened wide and a light seemed to shine in their faces.

"How the hell did we miss this?" Wade wondered aloud while Tatsu just slapped herself in the forehead. "Gimme one of those, too," he requested. She popped him in the forehead with the heel of her hand.

-8-8-8-8-

Kigo-one sat with Drakken and Junior, going over the last two battles with both girls. They were in a conference room, sitting quietly. The footage was on a wall-mounted monitor and the Kigos eyes were glued to it, learning from their mistakes.

"This is unacceptable," Junior growled. "You two should be able to stand against these jokes much better than this. The Bebes offer them more of a challenge. What is the point of me sending you out if you can't offer them a challenge, never mind actually killing them? Haven't you been training to fight them your entire lives? Haven't you been training to kill them for your whole lives?" His questions were answered with silence. "Well?" he demanded with another growl, banging on the nearest surface, which happened to be the conference table.

The younger flinched. "You always get mad when we talk," she whimpered. She made sure to keep her eyes on the table or on the monitor. Looking at Junior while he was upset was never a good idea.

"I want answers this time. You both have to learn when it's time to talk, like now. Just like you learned when it's time to look. So, answer my questions," he commanded them, glaring at them with cold, blue eyes.

"Yeah, we have trained, but only in simulations. We've been in those tubes for just as long. We need to get used to being out in the real world," Kigo-one answered. She was focused on the video in front of them. Her eyes were sharp, trying to take everything in.

"And used to those suits," Kigo-two chimed in.

"What is wrong with the suits? They appear to be the only things keeping both of you alive," Junior remarked in a stern tone.

"They're too heavy to fight in. They block a lot of the plasma power, too," the younger girl said. She almost glanced up at him, but at the last moment, turned her eyes toward the monitor.

Junior sighed and shook his head in annoyance. "I will have Hench look into it. You will list all of the problems that you're having with the armor and we'll have Hench's scientists fix and improve everything. We will keep looking at the footage, though. You two have to be prepared to do this again in a few days."

The two warriors nodded. They turned their complete attention back to the film. Junior stepped out to contact Hench. For a moment, the girls were silent, but that did not last for long. Kigo-one turned to Drakken.

"Doctor, why does Shego have plasma hands? Did you create her and she betrayed you?" the elder girl asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Shego did betray me!" the scientist declared heatedly. "I gave her everything and, in the end, she left me, but not before turning to my greatest enemy. She made a mockery of me and everything I wanted to build, but I've shown her through you," he chuckled darkly.

Kigo-two gulped. "What do you mean?"

"Shego always thwarted my attempts to clone her. She hated the very notion that it could happen and now look. Dozens of clones of her and her precious Kim Possible. The most powerful warriors combined into perfect soldiers, all trained to kill them at my order!" the blue-skinned scientist began crackling madly.

The two clones regarded Drakken oddly, but did not say anything. Beyond cloning them, he had also programmed their minds. He could not trust copies of Kim Possible and Shego to obey him unconditionally without ample amounts of brain washing, and even then, he still did not trust them. There were several fail safes in place should the clones prove to have more of Kim and Shego than just their DNA.

The conversation was ended as Junior returned and they all refocused their attention to the monitor. Junior did all of the talking from then on. He directed the girls' attention to mistakes he felt they made. He also pointed out holes in Shego's defense. He had to see more of Kim before he could point out her weaknesses.

"Your first time out was good because it seems you took out that armor suit Kim had. That'll be the best advantage that you have. Kim can't go hand to hand with you without it," Junior reasoned.

The girls nodded to show they understood and jotted down what he said. Satisfied with their level of engagement, Junior moved onto another section of their first battle. He told them how to use the Bebes and the drones to their advantage. He went over formations and strategies with them. It was clear that he expected them to do massive damage on their third outing.

The copies wrote down everything that the emperor told them. He went so far as to check what they were writing. At one point as he glanced at the smaller one's notes, he snarled and slapped her hard across the face, knocking her out of her seat.

"That wasn't what I said!" Junior screamed at the little girl.

The older leaped to her feet and ignited her hands. She glared at Junior, but a simple command from Drakken put her back in her seat. Junior noticed the power Drakken wielded over the Kigos.

"You will see to it, doctor, that they begin obeying and listening to me just as well as they do with you," Junior calmly ordered. He then glanced down at Kigo-two, glaring at her. He sniffed. "Get up and do things right from now on."

The little girl looked at Drakken, who nodded, before she rose to her feet on wobbly legs. Blood poured from her clearly broken nose, but everyone ignored the cascading crimson liquid. By the end of the meeting, the younger Kigo would also have bruised ribs from the emperor's hands as she continued to make mistakes in her notes.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego groaned and was ready to throw a temper tantrum as Wade sounded the alarm. He had just finished informing her that Junior was attacking again. It was the third time in over a week. She was certain that he was just trying to chip away at them with his damned drones.

"I'm so sick of this asshole. Can't he just be happy ruling over half of a shitty planet? Yes, it's the shitty half, but you made it that way," the pale woman grumbled as she sprang into action.

"Talking to yourself again?" Shadow Hand sighed as he followed behind her.

"It's only bad when I start answering myself," she reminded him. Of course, it was not foreign for her to answer herself. Most people just ignored her when she did it.

Shadow Hand decided against responding to that. They rallied the troops and rushed out to the battlefield. Junior had picked an odd place to attack; Shego could not help thinking that he was using some weird form of psychological warfare that she was not "sophisticated" enough to get. He was waging the battle in the rainforest of Eden.

"Is this his way of saying he hates our trees?" Shadow Eyes remarked as she came up behind her fearless leaders.

"Maybe this is an attack on our medicines. Lots of the plants we use for medicine are grown here," Shadow Hand pointed out.

"All of which can be grown in Amy's lab or the evil twins' lab," Shego reminded him and then scoffed. "I'm done trying to figure the bastard out. Let's just tear him a new one this time around and keep him on his own shitty side of the world!"

Shego knew that was a pipe dream, but she had to hype her exhausted forces in some way. The fighting was so intense in the last two battles that some soldiers did not report for their current conflict. Making matters worse, they had lost tons of troops to death and injury in the last two battles. They were lucky Hana did not follow doctor's orders and Trin had not been serious about enforcing her command of bed rest for the motor-mouth ninja or they would have been without one of their toughest warriors.

"There're more Bebes than last time. Be careful!" Ryujin called to Hana as they moved though the dense woods.

"There're more forces point blank," Wade reported to shinobi through their earwigs. "Watch yourselves out there."

"We got this!" Hana declared with confidence and then had to do an almost impossible twist in midair to avoid being shot. The movement aggravated her wound, but all she did was hiss in pain while turning her attention the incoming enemies.

There were two swarms of Bebes and drones. Both were heavily armed and firing rapidly. The Shadow Hand ninja all took cover, thankful that it was not short supply. They were in for a tight battle and it only got tighter as the enemy just kept pouring in. But, the great thing about fighting in Amy's jungle was that the jungle helped.

-8-8-8-8-

"Stay close to each other and stay with the unit," Trin ordered her sister and her cousin as they positioned themselves close to a small marsh in the jungle. The plan was to pull back and get the Bebe in the swamp where they were slightly less effective. The trick would be to not let the marsh make them less effective, too.

"This ain't our first rodeo," Joss huffed as she drew her handguns.

"Just don't get killed," Trin said blandly and that was her last statement to show that she cared. Everything after that were orders.

Joss frowned, but she did not respond because she knew the blonde Possible was worried for her as the older woman always was. There were not enough Possibles left in the world to lose one due to carelessness, they always said. Of course, they were also all too aware that if it was their time, then there was nothing that they could do.

Joss glanced at Kim. "You sure the bo is enough?"

"It was enough before. Besides, it's got more than the regular staff has going for it," Kim answered, which got a chuckle out of her cousin.

The laughter faded as the Bebes and drones burst through brush. Shots were fired and chaos reigned in no time. Joss and Kim did their best to stay together and have each other's backs. It was no easy task as their opponents fell on them like a breaking tsunami.

"We gotta start moving back!" Joss called to the redheaded hero.

Kim's retreated a little just to show that she heard. As the battle raged on, shrapnel exploded in all directions from several different items. When the Legend hit the bog, she got a taste of those fragments. To her side, splinters from a tree ripped through the air. Bits of wood cut into her face and side, but she fought on without missing a beat.

The Bebes and drones went for the bait, following Trin's unit right into the swamp. It had little effect on the Bebes, who undoubtedly sensed the change in terrain and adjusted as best they could. They even dodged the few moving vines that seemed to be on Shego's side. The drones were easily stuck in unfamiliar territory and struck down by some of the wild life.

"Nice to know Drakken still can't figure out how to perfect anything," Kim chuckled before fending off several Bebes. Her staff clanged against her foes before blades came out to finish the job and cut through the robots.

Mud splashing and flying everywhere helped out the human troops. Damaged Bebes ended up with dirt in their internal parts. While it was not enough to destroy the robots, it slowed many of them down. The ones that did go down had trouble escaping the thick mud. Some even disappeared into the bog, pulled down by some unseen fauna or flora that was only interested in Bebes.

But, things war not going well for Kim and her comrades. No matter how many Bebes they took down others replaced them. The tide of drones seemed endless. Soon, their trap became them trapped as they were pushed deeper into the bog.

Making matters worse, Kim heard the now unmistakable sound of the jet-armor. Growling, she scanned the skies and wondered what the jet would do with the jungle canopy in the way. She quickly learned that the treetops would not be a problem as several Bebes knocked over nearby trees or cut them down. The falling timber had to be dodged by all of the forces; many drones were crushed under the plummeting thick lumber.

Mud splattered in Kim's face, blinding her for more time than one liked in such a horrific time. She wiped her eyes just in time to be pushed out of the way of attacking Bebes. She saw a flash of auburn hair before a tree blocked her view and the jet blazed in – firing directly at Kim. She quickly moved out of the way and watched as the jet turned around, undoubtedly coming back for another round.

"Bring it on," Kim snarled as she gripped her bo.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego went in as aggressively as she could when she heard the jet coming in. She flared her hands and unleashed a column of plasma at the plane. She chuckled as the jet clipped it's own wing when dodging. The plane hit against a thick tree and went down in nearby bushes.

"Idiot," Shego snickered and then she wasted no time charging over to the shrubs.

The pale woman had to dodge a plasma shot herself as she came close to the plants. Her opponent burst out upon her as she was gathering herself. Her enemy was transformed, the jet now armor, and her fists ignited with the expected plasma.

"Now we'll see who's the original!" her foe shouted in a decidedly female voice.

"Yeah, you're looking at her," Shego remarked with her own plasma dancing high.

"No, you're not! I'm the first one!"

Shego was not sure what her opponent meant by that, but she did not get a chance to say anything as the other person attacked. The attack was faster than before, so Shego assumed that Junior made minor adjustments to the armor. She decided to test it out before attempting a serious assault.

Ducking and dodging the first few attacks, Shego waited for an opening and took if the first chance that she got. Her flaming uppercut clashed with the shield, as she expected. What she did not expect was the light shock that charged through her as she made contact with the shield.

"Something new has been added," Shego could not help herself with that remark, thinking about to old Bugs Bunny cartoons. "Starting to show my age … or at least my father's age."

The pale ruler did not have much time to think on that as she had to dodge a series of slash attacks. The area helped her because when her enemy missed, she hit against a thick tree and ended up lodged in if for a brief moment. Shego wasted no time exploiting that and aimed for hitting what she hoped was a joint. She attacked the wrist of the captured hand with what Wade referred to as her "hadoken," which was a large plasma sphere.

"Take this and sit down, number one," Shego snarled as she listened to the current in the shield buzz as it tried to do its job.

"Get away from me!" her foe screamed and swiped at Shego, which did back her up.

The armor-covered hand was pulled from the tree and the enemy tried to start a new attack, only to discover that Shego had damaged the right hand. The right hand would not ignite and could not make a fist. Shego smirked as she noticed.

"Well, kid, I think it's time for you to have a spanking," Shego quipped with her usual confidence.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it's time for the early bird special and you can eat my good fist," her enemy replied with quite possibly more arrogance and the aforementioned fist in the air.

Shego ducked the attack and countered with a hit of her own. Her fist collided with the shield again and she did get shocked. She would have pushed until the shield did not have anything left, but the shield was attached to a warrior. Her move was countered and they ended up dancing.

-8-8-8-8-

The bog was on fire. Kim was not sure if the Bebes did that on purpose or not, but it was working in their favor. The jet was still targeting her, circling around to shoot her. She could not ground it.

"Toltec, I hope you're ready," Kim said into her Kimmunicator.

"I am. We will not be defeated twice," the Paladin promised. The suit was not far off, waiting on standby if Kim needed it.

The Toltec was on the scene in less than ten seconds. Kim did not even bother to board it, just telling the suit to draw its saber. The Toltec did not as any questions and just pulled the laser sword. The jet did not seem to expect the Paladin to work without Kim piloting it, so it did not expect the Toltec to swing its weapon. The sword hit up against the shield.

"Push as hard as you can, Toltec!" Kim ordered as she climbed the nearest tree with the least amount of fire. She was going to get into the Toltec come Hell or high water.

"Be careful!" Joss found herself screaming to her cousin.

The hero did not turn around. She could not turn around because she knew Joss was counting on her. Her cousin was trapped, pinned by a tree and half way drowning in mud with a ring of fire closing in. Kim had to end things as soon as possible, so they could get to Joss and save her without worrying about the rescuers being slaughtered by Bebes.

When Kim was at the top of the trees, the Toltec moved suddenly to go retrieve her. The jet was left pushing against nothing and thrown off balance. Kim was able to climb into the Paladin and take control while the enemy righted itself. Kim had the Toltec grip it's sword as she pushed the suit at the plane. Just as the jet got itself together, Kim was on it.

"Let's really pull the chair out from this guy," Kim said as she and the Toltec fought against the shield.

"What do you want to do?" the Toltec asked.

"Just last against the shield, please."

"No big. It will not get the best of me twice."

Kim held the Paladin to that and did not address the fact that the Toltec was starting to talk like her. She focused on the task at hand, staying with the jet and pressing that shield. The plane tried twisting, probably to get a shot off, but Kim stayed with it. Then it began to transform and Kim pulled out the Toltec's gun. She moved away and opened fire on the face-area of the changing armor. The sudden lose of pressure and the surprise barrage of bullets sent the enemy flying out of control. Kim only stuck around long enough to see the armor crash.

"Let's go save Joss, Toltec," Kim said.

They landed in time to see the Bebes and the drones retreating. The redhead did not bother to wonder why and just made sure to get her people to safety, starting with Joss. As soon as she grabbed Joss, she wanted to know how her cousin was, but Joss was unconscious.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego found Kim as soon as everything was over and clear. They both had obviously seen better days. Shego's face was burned again while Kim had the cuts from the shrapnel and was covered in mud.

"Fire?" Kim asked.

"Fucking Bebes lit the whole damn jungle up. Amy's in tears. Did you fight the jet-armor-thing again?" Shego inquired.

"Yeah, actually, I knocked mine down. It crashed," the younger woman reported as she just remembered that key piece of information.

"It crashed? Princess, we need to retrieve that shit ASAP!" Shego ordered, already waving people over.

"But, I want to wait until I know Joss is okay!"

"Doctor Blondie has her! Joss'll be fine! This is a once in a lifetime thing with the jet, though! We might never get another chance at this! We'll be lucky if it's even still there!"

The redhead sucked her teeth, but she nodded. "I'll go get it myself. Let these guys have a break," she said, motioning to the men that Shego had called over.

"All right. Go get it, Cupcake," the Savior replied.

Without another word, Kim went back to the Toltec and went to the place that she saw the jet go down. It was easy to spot the wreckage and she could see why it was still there. It went down in one of the more "lively" parts of the rainforest and all of the plant life had wrapped around it. Kim exited the Toltec and reported that the armor was not going anywhere. As she approached the downed craft, the plants pulled back some, somehow or knowing that she was on their side. The pilot was revealed and Kim gasped while stopping dead in her tracks.

"Junior, Drakken, what have you done?" Kim despaired as she took in the unconscious, bloody form of a little girl with pale green skin and ebony hair with a crest of red.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim takes her discovery back to camp and finds out what happened to Joss.


	40. 4:3: Legacy

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.3: Legacy

Shego worked with all of her available forces to stop the fires started by Junior's troops before they retreated. She was pretty sure that the retreat that time around was not planned. They had done something to force the retreat and Shego wanted everyone's reports to find out what they had done right; aside from the fact that Kim had downed one of those mini-jets. The only one that was exempt from giving her a report as soon as humanly possible was Trin, who was working on saving Joss' life.

"Junior better pray that Joss lives," Shego growled. _If anything happens to that kid, I'm marching into Neo Roma myself and ripping his chest open without the plasma!_

Joss had been in bad shape when Kim brought her in, but for the sake of her Princess, Shego had acted nonplussed by the situation. It was not everyday that Joss Possible, beast of Kimber, was battered, unconscious, and bloody, but Kim did not need to know that right now. Thankfully, Trin was of like mind in that and remained as stoic as ever when she received her younger cousin.

"Shego," Trin's voice came through their Kimmunicators.

"You stabilized her?" Shego inquired.

"Yeah. Tell Kim," Trin replied bluntly.

The communication was ended. Shego breathed a sigh of relief and was thankful that Trin allowed her tell Kim the good news. She wasted no time contacting the hero.

"Kimmie," Shego said into her Kimmunicator.

"Shego, I'm working as fast as I can," Kim answered.

"I just wanted you to know that Joss is stable."

There was a loud sigh of relief. "Okay, that is good."

"Yeah, it is. So, how are things? Did you find the crash?"

"Yeah, I'm looking through it now. We got lucky because the plants over here seem to be sentient or something."

"That is lucky since less than a quarter of this place is like that. Take what you can and I'll send a salvage team out to help."

"Spanking." The communication was disconnected.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim ended the call because she wanted to focus on the little girl that she had knocked out of the sky. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and it was a bit hard to breath as she stared down at the tiny, fallen form of the child. To be fair, the little girl had been trying to kill her, but it did not make her feel any better. She cleared away the vines that trapped the jet and carefully plucked the child out of her seat. As soon as she gathered the child up, her hands were covered in blood.

"Crap. I hope I didn't make matters worse by moving her," the hero muttered. "Who would send a child out to fight a war?" Kim growled as she made her way back to the Toltec. "Toltec, I need you to fly us back to the medical tent on your own," she informed the Paladin.

"No big," the Toltec replied in that nonchalant way that his pilot often uttered the phrase.

Olive eyes rolled, but Kim smiled a little. "And stop talking like me. I know you're doing it to be funny. You're evolved enough to have your our personality."

"I like your terms."

Kim did not argue and allowed the Toltec to lift her while she made sure to keep a close, tender grip on the child in her arms. The Toltec took off as soon as Kim was secure. The redhead made a mental note to always be inside the Paladin from now on when it came to flying.

The Toltec got the pair back to the temporary camp and Kim rushed off to find Trin. The blond doctor was working as expected, but she acknowledged Kim with a glance. The look was enough to draw Kim close enough for them to talk. She rushed off to the medical area as soon as they touched down.

"What do you have there, mini-me?" Trin asked in a bored tone as she stitched up the chest of a wounded young man.

Kim's face scrunched up. "I'm not entirely sure. I'm not sure if I even want to know," she admitted. She turned the child in her arms, so that her sister could have a look at her. Trin's eyes widened for a split second.

"Oh, my. That is a bit odd. Is she what she looks like?" Trin asked, her tone slipping into one of concern. From the way that her eyebrows refused to settle, it was clear that she was surprised and confused by what she was looking at.

"I figured you could tell me, being the trained doctor and all."

The blond shrugged slightly. "Indeed. You can put her down on any empty bed and you might want to put things around to block people's view of her. We don't want them gossiping before we even know what we're dealing with. Have you shown or told Shego?"

Kim shook her head. "What would I even say?"

"Nothing for the moment. If Shego finds out and gets pissy, just bat your eyes at her a little and she'll forget what the problem even is."

The redhead decided to leave on that note because she did not know how to respond, especially since she thought that Trin was being serious. She was not sure how she felt about knowing that Shego was attracted to her. It was not something that had entered her mind until recently. _But, now is so not the time to worry about that_.

Kim shook away her thoughts and went to find an empty bed. There was a cot, which Kim was thankful for. She eased the child down and then scanned the area for items to block her from view. She found several boxes and crates. By the time she was done with the obstruction, Trin was over and examining the little girl.

"She's lost a lot of blood from a large and deep gash in her back," Trin reported.

"Can you save her?" Kim implored her sister.

Trin did not answer verbally, but when she went to work, her actions screamed, "I'll damn well try." That was more than enough for Kim, who stepped back to stay out of Trin's way. She would have left altogether, but Trin started asking her to grab things to help. She was slowly becoming Trin's unofficial nurse, and she did not mind one bit.

"How do you feel about this?" the doctor asked curiously as she closed wounds with quick, practiced hands. Beyond the deep cut on the girl's back, there were several smaller, but serious gashes.

"I don't feel anything until we have proof that this is what if looks like. Until then, all I want is for this little girl to live," Kim stated, making sure there was enough gauze around.

The blond nodded. "I figured you'd say that. I doubt Shego will be quite as magnanimous, especially if this is what it looks like."

Kim did not bother asking what Shego might do to the child. Even though she was certain that Shego would be incensed by the girl's existence even if she was not what she appeared to be, she was finally confident that Shego would not do something incredibly horrible to the girl. But, she was not sure what the western ruler might do. _I hope this isn't what it looks like_.

"I'll do a blood test as soon as we get back," Trin said after a silent session of patching the child up.

"You've got my blood on file?" Kim asked, even though she knew, it was a silly question.

"You were my patient and you had been buried for over twenty years. I tested your blood for everything I could think of the moment you agreed to my help. You'll be happy to know you're not pregnant or suffering from sickle cell."

"You're not kidding, are you?" the younger Possible asked.

"No, I'm not. I had lost you once already, mini-me. I refuse to go through that again. I refuse to put the boys and Joss through that again."

"Speaking of Joss, how is she?"

"She's seen better days. She'll be fine, but it'll be a while. A fallen tree broke her leg and hip if the splinters I pulled out of her wounds meant anything. She was half drowned by the mud. She's a tough kid, though. She'll be back on her feet before you know it."

Kim nodded, even though her face did not look comforted by the words. "Could I …?"

Trin pointed behind her. "She's in the second to last cot in the back row. She's still knocked out."

"Okay. Will you watch her while I go see Joss?" the younger woman requested.

"I will. Someone has to make sure Shego doesn't see this until we have answers."

The hero frowned slightly. "Please, don't call her 'this.' No matter what, she's not a thing," she pointed out. Trin only nodded.

Kim jogged off to go see her cousin. Joss was sleeping peacefully if the blank look on her face meant anything. She was sporting a couple of bandages on her cheeks. A blanket covered her battered form. Kim did not touch her. She just stared for a while.

"I thought someone was lying when they said this one went down," Hana commented as she stepped over to Joss beside.

Kim turned to the ninja. "Trin said she'd be okay," she felt the need to say.

"Junior is gonna regret this," Hana said, shaking her head.

To Kim that sounded like more than the expected outraged, blanket threat. "What do you mean?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"A few years ago, he managed to get Joss and me. I actually lost these fingers in the attack." Hana held up the last three fingers on her right hand. They looked real enough. "They got torn off. Hurt like Hell. There was a giant hole in my stomach and you could almost see through to the other side. Joss ended up with a punctured lung and her jaw was broken. We were a mess. Shego and the rest of the Elect were pissed."

"What did they do?" Kim asked curiously.

"The counter was swift and insane. It was the only time Shego ever okayed going into Neo Roma. They dropped into Hench's city and razed it to the ground. They took all of the slaves, kidnapped all of the scientists that didn't resist, killed all the ones that did, and took any useable material. It looked like a ruin by the time they left, I'm told. In the end, it turned out to be a poor decision because Junior came back just as hard, but Shego and the others didn't care."

The Legend's forehead wrinkled as she tried to make sense of what was being told to her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, they don't have kids. None of them …" Hana said and then she glanced away for a brief moment. "For Shego, Trin, and the others, me, Ryujin, and Joss are the kids. You hurt the cubs, the mama bears attack."

Kim nodded slowly. "I guess you're right about that. Do you think something will happen now?"

"Yeah, I do think so. They won't just take this. Hell, I just won't take this. Me and Joss don't see eye to eye on everything, but she's a friend, a comrade, a cousin for me considering how close our families are. I can't take losing more family more than anybody else around here. She's my family."

"Mine, too."

Hana nodded. "The last Possibles on Earth. People used to look at Joss and whisper that it would be a sad day when she died as they figured that would be the end of the Possible line."

"The twins are still out there."

"Yeah, but they're not with us. Joss was the last biological Possible. Your name represents a hope that I doubt you'd be able to fathom since you didn't live through the war. Even with you back, Joss is still a symbol of hope to people. She ain't you by far, but she was close enough for a lot of folks," the ninja reported.

"She doesn't have to be me and stop talking like she's gone. Trin said she'll be fine," Kim pointed out.

"I know, I know. It's tough seeing someone you know in the bed. Someone you're kinda close to," Hana said.

Kim nodded in agreement, but they did not say anything further. They stared at Joss for a little while longer before they both walked off. Hana had work to do and Kim had to get back to their little mystery. Trin seemed to be silently studying the little girl, even without touching her.

"Anything happen to her while I was gone?" Kim asked, even though she doubted anything did.

"Nothing that I could see. I've got patients to tend to. Your only job from now on is to make sure Shego doesn't see this … girl. She's already going to be pissed over Joss, but this is going to send her spiraling, even if it's not what we think it is," the blond replied.

Kim nodded and Trin was gone. The redhead took up the job of sentry, making sure to keep an eye out for Shego. She knew the ruler would probably want to come check up on her. Shego was rather predictable because she did wander into the medical tent, looking the place over. As soon as she spotted Kim, she started over. Kim tossed a sheet over the little girl, feeling horrible over it, but knew she had to hide the child. She then moved to meet Shego halfway, figuring that the barrier that she set up around the little girl would keep the pale woman from seeing her.

"Hey, Shego," Kim said in a breath, hoping that did not seem odd.

"Hey, Princess. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Shego said.

"I'm fine. You saw me earlier, so you should know that."

Shego smiled a bit. "I know I saw you earlier, but the salvage team that went to get the jet-armor said that there was blood in and around it and I thought you might have gotten into a scuffle with the pilot because he was gone. So, you're okay?"

"Totally spanking," Kim assured her with her own smile, even though her smile was a bit nervous.

Shego nodded. "Okay, that's good. I'm going to go see Joss."

"Okay," Kim agreed. She was about to walk away when she suddenly stopped and turned back to Shego. "Hey."

"Yeah?" the ruler asked.

"Let's not do anything crazy after you see her. This world needs you."

A light seemed to come on in Shego's eyes and she grinned briefly before walking away. Kim breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back over to the little girl. She glanced over her shoulder to see Shego cutting closer to Joss and she could not help wondering how Shego would react to the child if Shego did feel strongly about Joss, Hana, and Ryujin. _It's not the same, is it? Or is it?_

-8-8-8-8-

Shego stared down at Joss, a frown etched deeply on her face. Her gaze was stoic, almost stony, but on the inside, a solar storm blazed through her. Junior was not going to just get away with hurting Joss and she was not going to wait around for him to attack them again while they were struggling to figure out how to defend against him. She was going to meet with everyone again as soon as they got back to the Obsidian Manor.

"You know I won't let him get away with almost putting you in the ground anymore than I would let him get away with it for any of the rest of us," Shego said before she walked away. She knew that she could not do anything further for Joss, so she needed to move to get everyone ready to go back home.

Shego's people moved quickly to get ready to leave the battlefield. The ruler oversaw what she could, but for the most part all she really needed to do was carry things along with everyone else. So, she made sure to grab any heavy items and began loading them on transport units.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim was thankful that the packing up distracted Shego. She was able to sneak the unconscious pale child out of the medical tent with all of the other casualties. She kept a sheet over the child because she did not want anyone asking questions. Once they got back to Isabella, she would carry the little girl to her apartment and Trin would meet her there later.

It was a simple enough plan and worked out until Shego called an emergency meeting. Kim knew she was expected to be there, but first she had to do something about the little bundle that she was in charge of. Running to her apartment, she was not surprised to find Bonnie there.

"Bonnie, I need you to do me a _huge_favor," Kim said in a rush while she carried the little girl to her bedroom.

"Anything, but what's going on?" Bonnie asked curiously as she followed the redheaded hero to the back room.

"Too much right now. I don't have time to explain, but I need you to watch this kid and call me immediately if she wakes up. She should stay asleep, but just in case," Kim replied, still speaking quickly.

The hero had the girl in her bed and tucked in before Bonnie could even formulate a question. By the time Bonnie even got a glimpse of the guest, Kim was heading toward the front door. Bonnie turned around to say something, but Kim was gone by then.

"What the hell is going on?" Bonnie wondered aloud. She was not the only one with that question on her mind.

-8-8-8-8-

The Elect gathered in a small conference room. Shego scanned the room and took in the tattered appearance of her inner circle. Junior was obviously wearing them down. Even if it was not through wounds, the group appeared frayed and haggard. Shego frowned. _Junior's going to pay for this shit_.

"Where's Kimmie?" Shego asked curiously.

"Probably stopped to see Joss," Trin replied blandly. That made sense and earned a nod from the ruler.

"Gimme something, people," Shego ordered, putting her fist through the nearest surface, which was the conference table. No one even blinked at the action. "I want Junior to feel us as soon as humanly possible!"

"We've got some syntho goo, so we should be able to start working on chemicals to break the drones down," Shin offered. His face was a mess, swollen and covered in blood. He had a bandage around half of his face; he was lucky to have not lost an eye in the battle.

"Good. Amy, how are the animals coming along?" Shego demanded.

Amy smiled. "They'll be ready in a few weeks. Sorry we're not as fast as Junior, but we're dealing with living creatures here. You know how it is."

"Just keep at it. Wade, Kim got you a gift," Shego in formed the chief engineer.

Before Wade could ask what Shego meant, Kim entered the room. She gave a nervous smile and ducked into the nearest chair. Shego looked at her, but did not say anything about her being late.

"Kim knocked down one of the jets and I had a team recover it. It's waiting for you and Tatsu in your workshop. Do what you can with it," the pale woman ordered.

"No problem," Wade replied with confidence.

Emerald eyes cut to Trin. "That rocket you guys made that downed Junior's fortress." She did not even need to finish that thought.

Trin waved it off. "We've been working on more of those before we even launched the first one. Junior'll get a mouthful this time. We're done fooling around with him."

"My thoughts exactly," Shego concurred. "This is it. I'm not waiting around for Junior to kill any more of us. I'm tired of this shit."

"You and everybody else," Wade mumbled.

"Then let this be the end of it. Let this be the beginning of the end," Shego proclaimed. There were nods and murmurs of agreements. They needed things to come to an end, so they could live their lives.

-8-8-8-8-

"How could we have lost a kigo?" Drakken screamed in disbelief. He gripped his wheel chair handles and tried to push himself up. A gentle hand on his shoulder made him stop. He glanced back to see his "son" behind him.

"Be careful, Father. I'll take you wherever you want to go," Try-Acid said calmly. They were in Junior's office with the emperor, who was at his desk.

Drakken huffed and then turned his gaze to Junior. He actually glared at the emperor. Junior was not paying him much mind, going through reports on the battle that they had just won.

"How did you lose my kigo?" Drakken demanded again.

Junior waved the question off. "The thing will turn up. I'm more upset that your kigo lost that armor and your drones weren't able to retrieve it. We're to do something about that before Shego can use the technology if she found it. I need more drones and I need those more of the kigos to be ready ASAP. I want to beat Shego's ass now!" he huffed.

"You know the rest of the kigos aren't ready," Drakken countered with an attitude of his own.

"Then get them ready!" the emperor bellowed and slammed his fist against his desk.

"How?" the blue scientist huffed.

"Work with Hench's people now and make it your only priority! I want Shego's head on a pike!"

Drakken frowned and cut his eyes to his son. "Adam, let's go," he commanded.

Try-Acid took control of his father's wheelchair and wheeled him out of the room. Junior did not even look up as they slammed the door. Even though he counted the recent battle as a victory, he was troubled by the fact that they lost top-notch technology. He was not worried about the missing clone.

He had spent quite a bit of time with the two copies and he disliked the younger one. She was too much of a child and not enough of a warrior as far as he was concerned. She screwed up all of the time and he had punished her much of the time in the short few days that they had interacted. She had learned quickly to fear him. He suspected that she ran away after crashing the jet-armor because she was all too aware that he would punish her for it.

"Like a child, she'll turn up when she realizes she can't take care of herself. I'll punish her then," Junior decided. "If she's lucky, she's dead."

Rather than dwelling on the missing kigo, Junior tried to figure out what to do to crush Shego. He was certain that his ultimate victory was within reach. He just needed to work it out. He licked his lips as images of a broken Shego and cowering Possible women danced through his mind.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sat on her sofa with Bonnie sitting next to her. Bonnie wanted her to explain the child lying in her bed, but Kim could not do much of that. The best the redhead could do was explain how she ended up with the kid. Bonnie was not satisfied with that and pressed for more.

"I can't tell you what I don't know. I know what it looks like, but I'm not sure and I won't be until Trin tells me what the blood test says," Kim reported.

"Come on! It's obviously a clone! He cloned Shego!" Bonnie huffed, her features twisted in anger.

Kim held her finger to her lip. "Shh! You'll wake her up or someone might hear you. Shego might freak if she sees that girl and we don't even know if there's reason to freak. She might be a drone or something."

Bonnie gave the redhead an incredulous look. "Kim, can you hear yourself? A drone? That little 'girl' was bleeding when you found her, you said so yourself. Drones don't bleed, even I know that. Shego will be pissed over this, yes, but she'll feel betrayed when she finds out and she'll know you hid it from her. You'll hurt her again."

"I'm not trying to hurt her. I just want to be sure before she freaks out," Kim sighed and scratched her head. "If it's not what it looks like, she'll handle it much better."

"Are you sure?"

"Shego hates the idea of being cloned. Always has. If she thinks she's been cloned, she'll freak, but if we can tell her right away that it's not a clone, things will go much smoother."

Bonnie nodded. "You know her pretty well."

Kim was about to respond, but the apartment door opened and drew her attention. Trin stepped inside with Shego right behind her. Trin's face was as neutral as ever, but there was an odd glint in her eye that only her sister noticed.

"Trin, what's going on?" Kim asked, looking between her sister and Shego.

"I've been asking her that for the past twenty minutes," Shego huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Out with it already, Blondie. Secrecy doesn't become your bland honesty."

"I needed you both and I need one more person. Kim, if you will?" Trin requested.

"You sure?" Kim asked.

"What other person? What the hell are you up to, Trin?" Shego demanded.

"Kim," Trin repeated.

The petite hero nodded and trotted off into her bedroom. The child was still asleep and had been of several days. She and Trin had not said anything on it, but they both expected the child to be asleep that long because Shego often slept for days when recovering from life threatening injuries. When Shego rose after such sleeps, it was like she was never injured at all.

"I can guess what Trin's going to say," she muttered as she collected the little girl.

The child groaned in her sleep and clung to Kim as if she sensed a warm, kind soul. Kim actually smiled a little as she walked back into the living room. Emerald eyes locked onto her as soon as she was in view and narrowed when she noticed the guest.

"What the hell is going on?" Shego demanded, turning to glare at Trin. It looked like green sparks popped off of her body.

"Don't look at me like I did it," the blond remarked.

"That better not be what it looks like," the pale woman snarled while reaching over to turn the child for a better look. Her hand was ignited, sizzling with plasma energy, even though she did not seem to realize it. Kim stepped away, just out of range.

"Shego, she's just a child," Kim said, holding the little girl close to her chest to protect her.

"She's your child to be more specific," Trin chimed in.

"My child? Having never been pregnant, I call bullshit! Where the fuck did you get this goddamn abomination and why the fuck didn't you tell me?" Shego pointed viciously at the dozing bundle in Kim's arms. The growl that escaped her bordered on demonic.

"We're telling you now and you're not listening," Trin said.

"What's to listen to? I've been fucking cloned and two of the closest people to me lied to me about it!" Shego screamed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Maybe because we knew you'd freak out about it. Now, shut up and listen. She's not a clone. Well, not in the sense you're thinking," Trin said calmly.

Emerald eyes blazed. "How the hell can you say that when I'm looking right at her!"

"She's more like nature's clone, but without the nature obviously. She's got your DNA –" Trin tried to explain.

"I fucking knew it!" Shego hollered.

The blond did not miss a beat. "Which explains how she can sleep through your screaming. But, anyway, she has half of your DNA."

"Wait, half?" Shego blinked in confusion.

"And half of Kim's DNA," Trin finished.

"Kim's DNA?" the rest of the room shouted incredulously. All eyes went to the redhead with the child.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: reactions to that news and Kigo-Two wakes up in her new surroundings.


	41. 4:4: Bitter

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. Kigo-two is not mine and to avoid spoiling who she is, I won't tell you who she belongs to just yet.

4.4: Bitter

"What do you mean the kid has half of my DNA and half of Kim's?" Shego asked Trin with her face scrunched up in sheer bewilderment. The news shocked her so greatly that she forgot her anger at the idea of being cloned.

"I mean exactly what I said. She's got your DNA and Kim's DNA. She's a combination of both of you," Trin replied. "In essence, it's like you two had a child."

Kim blinked and looked down at the little girl in her arms. _Well, I guess that explains the little tuft of red hair on her head. She does look a little like me when I was little_. Beyond those thoughts, Kim was not sure how she felt about the turn of events. Shego was not so ambiguous about her emotions.

"Fuck that! That's not a child! That's some _thing_ a monster grew in a lab! Now, Kimmie, where the hell did you get that thing?" Shego demanded.

"Shego! She's not a thing! No matter what, she's a little girl!" Kim declared and then she turned to her sister. "Right? She is a little girl?" she asked to be sure.

Trin nodded. "As human as you or I. I would tip my hat to Drakken for this one. This might be his best work yet."

Shego growled. "Drakken? Drakken was behind this? Of course! How the hell did we get his handiwork?"

"She was the jet that I took down," Kim informed the highly pissed off leader.

Shego pinched the bridge of nose and ground her teeth together. "You mean to tell me that Junior had Drakken make clones of us to kill us?"

"It actually makes sense when you think about it," Bonnie spoke up, reminding them that she was in the room. "He's fighting against the two most powerful forces in the world. How's he going to stop them? Nothing he's done has worked so far, so why not have you fight against a combination of the two greatest warriors on Earth?"

"I don't give a shit about why he did it! Where the hell did he get Kim's DNA from, anyway?" Shego huffed. "She was buried for twenty goddamn years!"

"He could've gotten it in a recent battle or one from twenty-five years ago. With work this good, I'd assume Drakken had a lot of practice," Trin remarked.

"Could you please stop talking about her as if she's a thing? You already said she's a human and my kid to boot. She's a person and deserves to be spoken about like one," Kim stated.

Shego's mouth practically dropped through the floor and her eyes went as wide as a dinner plates. "You can't be serious, cupcake!"

"Dead serious. She's just a little girl and she didn't ask to be put in these circumstances," Kim proclaimed before walking off to the bedroom to put the sleeping child back to bed.

"Un-be-fucking-lievable!" Shego screamed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Is it even safe to have her around? She did try to kill you a couple of times!"

"So did you!" Kim called from the back room.

Shego balked at that and then turned to Trin for backup. "Talk some sense into her before that damn thing kills her!"

Trin arched an eyebrow. "Talk some sense into Kim? Have you met Kim?" she inquired calmly.

"I've met Junior, Drakken, and that thing that almost killed Kim! It's dangerous!"

"And Kim seems to think she's a child and she seems to be ready to take care of that child. Now, if you're done panicking, we need to talk about the fact that Drakken had the kid chipped in several different places on her body," Trin reported.

"Chipped? So, they know exactly where she is?" Shego asked with wide eyes.

Aqua eyes rolled. "Really, Shego, this isn't my first day on the job. I burned the chips out, but now I want to remove them and study them. I figured you should at least be informed."

Shego only gnashed her teeth. Trin took the flabbergasted leader by the hand and led her out of the apartment. Shego was so out of it that she allowed Trin to do. Bonnie was left alone in the living room and bewildered by what she should do. She decided to see if Kim needed her.

"Hey, Kim," Bonnie said as she poked her head into the bedroom.

Olive eyes glanced away from the bed to the door back to the bed. "Hey."

"You okay? I mean, things got pretty thick out there."

Kim sighed and nodded. "It's all crazy. Just when I get things together with Shego and my memory is more or less together, we get hit with this. Making matters worse is that I doubt she's the only one that Drakken made. During the battles, I faced her, but Shego fought someone similar and I know Shego's put one and one together."

Turquoise eyes went wide. "There's another clone?" she echoed in slight awe. "Goddamn that mad scientist. He doesn't have any right to do this to you or Shego. Not that he cares."

"I know, but we can't change what he's done. It's not her fault or anything." Kim reached down and gently, almost tenderly petted the child's head. "It's not your fault," she whispered.

Bonnie nodded. "So, what are you going to do with her?"

Kim shrugged. "For now, I'll let her sleep. When she wakes up, we'll take it from there."

"Are you okay? I know this has to feel weird for you."

The hero chuckled. "Weird doesn't even cover it, but then again, my whole life has been weird for a long time."

"Can I do something?"

A small smile settled on Kim's face. "You're sweet to offer, but no. I need to deal with myself. Have to wrap my mind around it."

Bonnie nodded and left Kim to her thoughts. Kim honestly had no clue what to begin thinking about. Drakken had created at least one little girl using her DNA and Shego's and then used the child as a weapon. The disgust that she felt toward him and Junior was unmistakable and endless. _How the hell can anyone do this to a child?_

Despite the confusion, Kim did not feel any animosity toward the injured child. If nothing else, she felt guilty that she was the reason that the little girl was broken and unconscious. She tried shaking that feeling away, reminding herself that she did not know the pilot was a child. It did not make her feel any better. _My child at that_.

Before her guilt was able to consume her, her little guest made a noise. Kim watched as big, oddly innocent eyes fluttered open. Kim's heart jumped into her throat as emerald eyes were revealed. There was no brightness to the green orbs. Those dull eyes searched the ceiling and whimpered, sounding quite afraid. She drew the covers to her chin and clutched them tightly.

"Hey, it's okay," Kim cooed in a soft voice as she moved to the side of the bed.

The child jumped and gasped as her panicked eyes went to Kim. The redhead was not surprised that the little girl ducked under the blanket. It seemed like an instinctive move. After a moment, the child lowered the cover enough for Kim to see her wide emerald eyes. Kim smiled gently at the girl.

"It's okay. It's okay," she repeated in the most nonthreatening tone that she could muster. "No one's going to hurt you here. How do you feel?" The question was met with a blank stare. "Are you hungry?" More staring. "Can you talk?" There was a slight nod and Kim's face lit up. "Okay, that's good. My name is Kim. Can you tell me your name?" Emerald eyes were lowered and there was a slight headshake. "Do you have a name?" Another head shake. "Hmm … well, what are you called?"

The child kept her eyes down and gnawed on her lower lip. She appeared troubled, squinting at the bed. She rubbed her forehead, either trying to remember or thinking of a lie. Kim decided to give her the time to figure it out.

"I'm Kigo-two," the child reported in a low, gravelly voice. She cleared her throat a little; her voice was undoubtedly thick from all of the sleeping that she had done.

"Kigo?" the hero echoed as she felt a quiver in her chest. She managed to keep anger out of her tone, but rage ripped through her. Not only had Drakken made an actual person using her and Shego's DNA and forced that person as a young child to fight against them, but to further spit on them, he had named the girl after both of them. "Wait, two? There are more of you?" she asked curiously.

The child nodded and continued nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Giving her a closer look, Kim could see the girl was trembling. She was terrified. Kim acted impulsively, but warmly. She took the girl into her arms and held her tightly, lovingly. The child held her breath.

"It's okay. I'm sure you're not used to this, but hugs usually make people feel better, safe, and secure. I'm not going to hurt you. No one here is going to hurt you. You're safe," Kim vowed.

"Safe?" the little girl parroted as if she had no clue what that was.

"Yes. Don't worry, you'll understand soon. I promise. Now, are you hungry? I can make you some food," Kim offered.

"Food?"

"Yeah, and you don't have to keep repeating everything I say. Everything'll be fine."

Kigo-two did not say anything, but when Kim flashed her a smile, an obvious light went on in those lifeless green eyes. Kim took that as a sign that the kid would eventually be all right. But, it also made her wonder what the child had gone through with Junior. She put that out of her mind for the moment and went to make the child some lunch.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego had to go straight to the gym. In a matter of minutes, her heavy bag was on the floor, spilling sand all over the floor and she was not sated. So, she put her hand through the wall a few times.

"How's that working out for you? I can tell you the wall probably isn't enjoying," Shadow Hand commented as he entered the gym.

"I don't need you …" Shego snarled and put her hand through the wall again. "Trying to talk to me like you're not fucking screwed up, too! I'm sick of the bullshit!" Her hand went through the wall another time. Considering the fact that the walls were supposed to withstand a bombing, the fact that Shego put her hand through it like it was nothing spoke volumes on how upset she was.

"You're not the only person that's sick of this bullshit. But, this fucking reality. You have to deal with it. You're gonna fucking fall apart because Joss got hurt and we lost?" he demanded.

She actually laughed, straight from her gut and tossing her head back momentarily. "You think that's it? Do you really think that's it?" she demanded. "Do you know what those bastards did? Do you know!"

He folded his hands across his chest. "Obviously I don't, so enlighten me."

"That fucker! That motherfucker Drakken fucking cloned me! Used my DNA and Kimmie's DNA and made a mini-us! And making this oh, so much better he used the damned thing to try to kill us! And now Kim wants to fucking keep it!"

He blinked; she could tell. "You lost me at cloned. He cloned you?"

"Aren't you listening? He cloned me and Kimmie!"

"So, there are two clones?"

Shego screamed in frustration. "No! Goddamn it, no! There's one fucking clone with half of my goddamn DNA and half of Kim's fucking DNA!"

"Uh … While I've never been a science geek, but where I'm from we call that a kid. Drakken made you and Kim a kid and he didn't even let you do it the fun way?"

"It's not a fucking kid! It's a fucking thing, a fucking abomination that goddamn bastard freak Drakken made!" And there was another hole in the wall. Some of her blood dotted the floor, but she did not notice.

"Calm down. How's Kim handling this?" he asked.

She sighed and her shoulders dropped. "Like a champ. As expected. She even held the kid like everything was okay. It was like she wasn't creeped out by this at all. That only pissed me off more."

"Sounds like somebody needs to man up and put on her big boy pants," Shadow Hand remarked.

"Hi, pot. Or are you the kettle?" she asked.

"Aren't we all just a steaming pile of hypocrites? You're pissed that Drakken made a copy or you and you call this copy a thing, but you have Amy and the evil twins do this all the time. Sure, they don't make little versions of you, but Drakken's a fucking maniac. Or are you upset that a child was fighting? Like we didn't have that? Ryujin, the Possible twins, Hana, and Joss. And, yes, I can't rise up to Kim's level and neither can you. We both suck!" he proclaimed.

"Is this going to be our thing?"

He shrugged. "You've got a bigger problem. If Kim accepts this copy, clone, kid, whatever, she'll be around for a while. You'll have to see her and deal with her. Are you going to be this pissed each time? How are you gonna hang out with Kim if this gonna be a problem?"

Shego groaned and ran her hand through her hair. She scratched her head and let her eyes roam the room, as if searching for an answer. When she looked up again, she knew her confusion was written all over her face. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Times are changing. Weird things are happening. We've always changed with the times. We just have to keep doing it. I get that and you do, too. Unfortunately, we're both stubborn assholes, too. But, we're not deaf and we're not stupid. I heard you. Do you hear me?" he asked in a low tone.

She sighed. "Nice to know you heard me. And, yeah, I hear you, but I don't like it."

"Welcome to my fucked up world."

Shego rolled her eyes, but did not respond. She understood Shadow Hand just a little bit more than she liked now, even though their circumstances were very different. It all boiled down to accepting someone that was there and not going anywhere.

"Get someone to clear this up, please," she said in an almost defeated tone. She marched out of the room with stomped shoulders and her head ducked down. He did not say anything to her.

Shego wandered the halls, trying to collect her thoughts. She could not do that, though. All she could do was fume over the fact that Drakken had the nerve to use her DNA and Kim's DNA for sinister acts. Just the thought made her want to snap his neck and rip his head off. She doubted that she would have a positive reaction if she saw the little abomination at that moment.

"Really, who the fuck does that? Who steals your goddamn DNA, combines it with someone else's, and makes a fucking child go after and try to kill the people whose goddamn DNA you stole in the first damn place!" Shego snarled.

-8-8-8-8-

Lunch was served and little Kigo-two seemed more than grateful for the meal. She devoured five sandwiches, which Kim expected since she knew how Shego ate. Apparently, her powers gave her and her brothers high metabolisms.

"She's really putting it away," Bonnie commented as Kigo-two stated in on her sixth sandwich.

"Did you get fed well back at home?" Kim asked the child. She petted Kigo-two's head because the girl seemed to like the contact already.

"Home?" Kigo-two echoed. Large, confused eyes looked up at Kim.

"Home – where you live," Kim tried to clarify.

The child's forehead wrinkled. "Where I live? My bunk? I get food there. Sometimes. The emperor gives us bread and the creator gives us food, too."

It was Bonnie's turn to mimic a parrot. "The emperor? You met the emperor?" she accidentally shouted.

Kigo-two's eyes widened with terror. "I'm sorry! Was I not supposed to tell?" Her voice trembled.

Kim grabbed the girl into a tight hug. "Shh … it's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. It's okay. It's okay," she cooed.

Bonnie rushed over to join in on the embrace and comforting. "It is okay. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Am I interrupting something?" Trin asked, drawing attention to her. She was standing in the living room.

"Sis, you don't believe in knocking, huh?" Kim remarked with a lopsided smile.

"Not when you expect me and I have a key." Aqua eyes looked down at the obviously upset child. "Well, she is awake as you said. Is she ready for the check up?"

"Uh … give as a second, please and thank you," Kim requested. She then turned her to the little girl in her arms. "Hey, that's my sister, Trin. Remember I told you about her?" Kim asked and that earned her a nod. "She's here to help you feel better, so you have to tell her about all of your owies. Okay?"

Kigo-two nodded to show that she understood and would comply. "You're gonna stay with me, right?"

"We both will," Kim promised, pointing to herself and then Bonnie. Bonnie had grown on the little girl somewhat by being the person that made the food.

Kim held Kigo-two's hand as they walked into the living room. Trin motioned to couch as she went into her travel kit for what she needed for what she doubted would be a routine examination. She had packed several items that she generally only used when checking out Shego.

"Now, you have to be a big girl and not squirm, okay?" Kim said and she got a nod.

Trin arched an eyebrow. "Kiddie talk?"

"She responds to it like any other little kid," the redhead explained.

Trin nodded, satisfied with that response. The doctor then quietly worked on Kigo-two while Kim and Bonnie kept the child calm by talking to her. Kim arched an eyebrow as a frown showed up on Trin's usually stoic face as she felt around the little girl's head.

"Something, um …" Kim trailed off because she did not want to worry.

"Nothing's wrong. She's just got a huge knot. I also need to take the staples out of her head soon," Trin replied.

"Staples? You didn't tell me you put staples in her head," Kim huffed. She wanted to scream in anger and frustration.

"How else did you think I was going to close the gashes in her head? It was good that I needed to look her skull over, though. She doesn't heal as quickly as Shego, which is good for the staples, but I'm worried about her other injuries." Trin looked at the little girl. "Do you have any other boo-boos?" she inquired and Kim gave her a surprised look. Trin smiled and winked.

Kigo-two gnawed on her lip. "Um …"

"It's okay. I'm going to try to make your boo-boos feel better. So, you can tell me," the doctor said in a gentle tone. Kim gave her another look. "Mini-me, I've had children as patients before."

"Oh!" Kim accidentally said.

Trin smiled a bit. "Now, come on, tell me what hurts," she softly urged the child.

"When I say things hurt, _they_ makes it worse," Kigo-two whispered with her eyes on the floor. All of the adults frowned.

"They who?" Kim managed to ask in a tender tone.

"Um … the creator and the emperor," the child replied.

"Drakken and Junior. They're abusing kids now," the petite hero huffed while Bonnie scowled deeply.

Trin shook her head. "That explains the older injuries I saw." She went back to her examination. Eventually, she suggested that they go to her office for a closer look at the child.

Kim agreed and Kigo-two went along as long as Kim and Bonnie went with her. She held their hands the whole time. Again, Trin worked quietly on the girl. She took x-rays and an MRI. Again, there was that little frown on her face. It did not get any better when she started asking Kigo-two questions.

"All done," Trin announced after over an hour of doctoring.

"Hey, Bonnie, you should take her to get some ice cream, okay?" Kim suggested.

"Ice cream?" Kigo-two echoed with an adorably perplexed expression.

"You'll like it. Be good for Bonnie and I'll be with you both in a few minutes, okay?" Kim replied. She got a shy nod, but those emerald eyes she filled with sorrow as she left with Bonnie.

"You're good with her," Trin noted.

Kim shrugged. "She's just a kid. They're pretty easy to figure out."

"She's not a normal kid, though. I think we lucked out with her. Between her obviously being the runt of the litter as far as Drakken's creations go," Trin pointed out. Many of her questions revolved around her finding out what she had gone through in her short life. "And her head injuries …"

"Speaking of those, will she be all right?" Kim asked.

"Kids are resilient. Not to mention she has your genes and Shego's genes. Her brain will heal, but the injuries have also served to destroy some of the programming that Drakken put inside of her, which is why she hasn't tried to kill you. She's actually lost most of that thanks to the bruising. I took out a lot of chips on her body, which more than likely served to control her. I'll examine those so we can find out more about what was done to her and what they wanted her to do."

Kim nodded. "What about her other injuries? The physical ones?"

"Healing fine. Like I said, kids are resilient. Plus, she has good genes. Now, how about you till me how you feel about her," the blond said.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you comfortable with her? With her existence?"

Kim scratched her head. "I'm not sure how I feel, but she's here and she needs me. It's not her fault how she came to be and I can't hold that against her. She needs me. So, I'm comfortable with her."

"But, you wouldn't mind punching Drakken in the nuts," Trin gathered.

"That would be a good start. Now that I do feel violated with. He's an ass. Not just making a kid with my DNA, but then beating the kid for being 'worthless' and just not what he expected and allowing Junior to do the same. How do you just make a child and then abuse the child for not being a killing machine?"

"He's a dick. Not to mention crazy with delusions of grandeur. Are you sure you're okay with her?"

Kim nodded. "I'm fine with her, especially since she's like a regular kid. I want things to stay like that for her."

"Then I guess I'm an aunt again," Trin smiled.

A chuckle escaped the younger Possible. "Thank you for making this so easy."

"Mini-me, a lot of weird things happen around here. Case in point, my talking to you when by all accounts you should be dead. But, she's a good kid from what I could see. You'll do her some good. You ready to be a mom?"

"I think we'll find out. Besides, Bonnie's helping."

"Right," Trin said and she seemed set to laugh, but held it in. "Well, I need to get to work. Besides my new patient, I have other matters to tend to. Bring her back in three days for a follow-up. Ask her about any boo-boos every few hours."

"We call them owies, but I will," Kim replied with a smile before leaving.

The redhead quickly found Bonnie and Kigo-two, who definitely liked ice cream. The child grinned with each spoonful of the vanilla and chocolate treat. Bonnie actually did the same thing.

"You two look like you're enjoying that," Kim said with a smile as she approached the bench the pair was sitting.

"It's good!" Kigo-two declared.

"Do you want some?" Bonnie offered.

Kim shook her head and sat down. "I'm content to watch you." Honestly, she was just that. It was good to see two people who had been oppressed get pleasure out of something so simple.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was not sure what brought her out beyond her bubbling, festering thoughts, but she wished that she had just gone to work. Instead, she wandered outside and noticed Kim smiling with Bonnie and that godforsaken clone. She only watched for a few minutes; it was all she could stomach. They looked like a family, which troubled Shego more than finding out Drakken had cloned her and Kim.

The western ruler fled the scene and thought that she would get some work done now that she truly needed a distraction. Yet, for some reason that was beyond her, she ended up at Trin's door. She was inside before she could second-guess herself.

"Yes, Shego?" Trin asked.

"Uh …" Emerald eyes searched the ceiling for an answer.

"Okay, let's pretend no matter what you say, I won't judge you on it."

Shego groaned, hating that was beyond true. "Fine. Do you think I'm losing Kim to Bonnie?"

"No. You'll end up losing Kim over the clone issue. She's accepting of the kid and willing to raise her while you're the exact opposite."

"How can she …?"

"She doesn't blame the child. She blames Drakken. The kid had no say in her creation, like any other child. I'm sure if she did have a say, she'd have picked a better environment. Let me tell you about her."

Shego nodded slowly, like she was in a daze, and found herself sitting down. Trin grabbed some folders and brought a few things up on her computer. She then began going through everything that she had learned about Kigo-two. Shego was attentive through the whole thing and by the end Trin noted the rage in the sharp emerald eyes.

"You're going to kill Drakken," Trin stated.

"He's a dead man rolling. Who the hell does that to a child that he brought into this world? Junior's gonna get it, too, for hurting her. I might not like the fact that she exists, but I would never do anything to hurt her," Shego proclaimed.

Trin arched an eyebrow. "You mean physically. You are hurting by denying her. She needs positive role models and to be treated as a person. Kim's saving her by treating her like a child, like _her_ child. She is a child."

Shego nodded, even though she was frowning. "I know what you want me to do and what I have to do, but I don't know if I can."

"Shego, you're only human. Kim knows that. She feels violated, too, so she probably understands your feelings. Don't force anything."

"I won't, but I have to try. I can't lose Kimmie," Shego stated. She would accept the clone if it meant keeping her princess. She would do anything for her princess.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego tries with Kigo-two, but a few things stand in her way, like Kim, and Junior attacking.


	42. 4:5: Saw an opening

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. Kigo-two is not mine and to avoid spoiling who she is, I won't tell you who she belongs to just yet.

4.5: Saw an opening

"Can I have more ice cream?" Kigo-two requested as she finished the cup of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. She was sitting outside with Kim and Bonnie. The latter was also eating ice cream.

"First of all, you should say 'may I' for stuff like this. Second of all, you can't just eat a bunch of sweets because it's not good for you. Last thing, the reason a treat is so good is because we don't have them all of the time," Kim explained in a very gentle tone.

Kigo-two nodded, even though Kim was sure the child had no clue what she was talking about. Kigo-two was a rather agreeable child, which Kim was not sure if that was just how Kigo-two was, if it came from her head injuries, if it was the abuse from Drakken and Junior, or something else. She supposed she would find out as she got to know the child better.

"I like outside. Do we train out here?" Kigo-two asked as she swung her legs back and forth from the bench.

Kim laughed a little. "Sometimes we do. Other times we have a gym for that. Do you like training?"

Kigo-two put her finger to her chin. "I don't like when it hurts. Sometimes, Kigo-one hits me really hard because she's stronger and because she's number one. She's bigger than me and _they_ like her more."

"Well, we like you and we won't hurt you," Kim promised, rubbing the little girl's head.

Kigo-two smiled from the contact. They stayed there for a while, even after Bonnie finished her ice cream. After that, they just walked around for a couple hours for Kigo-two to see what her new home was like. She was as awed by the place as her two guardians had been when they first took the tour. They returned to Kim's apartment when Kigo-two's stomach started growling and her eyes began drooping. Kim carried the child back to the apartment.

"How about I read you a story while Bonnie makes dinner?" Kim proposed.

"A story?" Kigo-two echoed.

"You'll like it," the redhead promised.

Kigo-two only nodded and sat with Kim on the sofa while the hero searched high and low for a storybook. The best that she could come up with was a history book and figured that was good enough. She somewhat hoped that Kigo-two could not read and she could make a story up while pretending to read. But, that thought also saddened her as it meant that Drakken and Junior had not bothered to teach the child the basics and probably considered her as nothing more than a weapon. A thing. _Like Shego_.

"Okay, let's see what we got," Kim declared and to her sorrowful relief she discovered that Kigo-two could not read. She told the child the fairytale of Cinderella, but did not get to the end before dinner.

"Can I hear more of the story?" Kigo-two requested with a shy, almost anxious grin. It looked like she thought that she was asking too much, already having such a good day, but could not help trying for more.

"May I hear," Kim corrected the child. "And, yes, I'll tell you the rest of the story after we eat."

Kigo-two grinned and dug into her meal. Once she was done, Kim bathed her and finished the story. By then, Kigo-two was nodding off. Kim put her to bed and the child was sound asleep before Kim even put the covers over her. Kim could not help smiling.

"You're so good with her," Bonnie commented.

"It's no big," Kim replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I had a lot of practicing with babysitting and stuff."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you used to babysit."

"Yup. I can do anything," the hero quipped with a laugh.

Bonnie laughed, too. "I like her."

"I like her, too. She's a sweet kid. I hope it's not due to all of the trauma that she's gone through."

Bonnie shook her head. "I hate to break it to you, but that's probably why she is that way. She's happy to be out of that horrible situation. She's grateful that you're there for her."

"_We're_ here for her," Kim corrected her friend.

Bonnie smiled and took Kim's hand in hers. The redhead glanced down at their hands, but she did not say anything. They sat on the sofa and talked for a while. They then got ready for bed, making a pallet of blankets on the floor. They settled down and found that sleep came easy after spending the day with an energetic child.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim groaned as a knocking sound drew her out of her sleep. At first, she thought that Kigo-two was up and probably needed something. However, when she scanned the room, she could see that she was wrong. After a few seconds, she realized the knocking was coming from the front door.

She glanced over at Bonnie before getting up. She rushed over to the door to make sure the noise did not wake Bonnie and Kigo-two. Opening to the door, she was surprised that Shego was standing before her, still in the motion of knocking. Shego had worry line marring her face, which was full of tension.

"Shego, is everything okay?" Kim asked in a frantic, but low tone.

There was a slight, stiff nod. "Stuff is okay. I need to talk to you. Mind if I come in?" She peered over Kim to look into the living room.

"Actually, yeah. Bonnie and Kigo-two are sleeping and I don't want you to wake them up," Kim replied as she moved forward and closed the door behind her.

Shego smiled a little and something shimmered in her eyes. "You actually call her 'Kigo-two'?"

"It's what she's used to and she hasn't said she wants to be called anything else," Kim pointed out. "What do you care, anyway? You think the kid's a monster."

Shego was silent for a moment before leaning down to look Kim in the eye. "Maybe I can be persuaded into thinking otherwise," she said in a whisper.

Kim swallowed loudly. "Shego, you have to mean that and you can't hurt that little girl. She's been through too much already for someone so small. You can't make things worse for her."

"I don't plan to. Look, I had two long talks with two people I, unfortunately, respect a great deal and they basically told me to pull my head out of my ass. One of those people was your sister and she told me all about the kid. She also told me about how I shouldn't blame her for Drakken's actions. She's right about that and you're right about that," Shego explained in a humble, accepting voice.

"This is a big change in a very short period of time," Kim pointed out, folding her arms across her chest.

Shego growled and spun around, posed to punch the wall. "Why the fuck don't I ever get the benefit of the doubt, princess?" she demanded, turning sharply again and glaring at Kim with tearful emerald eyes. "You take Bonnie with open arms and a kid that tried to kill you, but nothing I do is enough to move you at all! Do I need to be an asshole and try to kill you to get some fucking common courtesy!"

"Shego …" Kim whispered while blinking in surprise. After a few seconds, she recovered from the shock and reached out for the pale woman.

"No," Shego said, but she did not move. Kim snatched her up to a warm embrace and held her tightly.

"You're right, Shego. You're so right. I keep doing this and I don't even mean to now. I just need to watch out for that little girl, our little girl," Kim explained as gently as she could.

Shego inhaled sharply. "Our little girl?"

"If only biologically. Like it or not, she's got half our DNA. I'm going to treat her like a regular girl."

"Princess, there's nothing regular about that girl," Shego remarked, which caused Kim to draw back. She saw a smirk on that pale face. "She shares our DNA, cupcake. Nothing regular about that."

Kim laughed. "Tell me about it. So, you're sure about this?"

Shego nodded. "It's not her fault that Drakken and Junior did this. She's a victim just as much as anyone else."

"Trin and Shadow Hand must've really laid it on you."

"How'd you know the other person was Shadow Hand?"

"Wade's too busy with work to scream at you. Trin, Wade, and Shadow Hand are really the only people that scream at you for personal things. I'm glad they got through to you. Kigo-two needs all of the support that she can get."

Shego nodded. "So, will it be okay for me to come by and see her later on today? Maybe we can sit down and talk to her some about who she is and who we are."

"Sounds good. I've been avoiding that with her. I wasn't sure what to say to her, especially about you since you weren't there. I didn't know if I should tell or not. I just didn't know," Kim admitted in a low voice, as if she were telling a secret.

A gentle smile graced Shego's tense features. "We'll do it together. I will warn you, though. I might be a little weird at first. This creeps me out. I've had to fight my whole life not to be a science experiment and now there's this little person who's proof that someone made me a science project. Someone that used to be close to me, too. Someone that knows how I feel about this." Her voice had lowered and there was clear sorrow there, but she kept her eyes on Kim. It was as if she knew that Kim could see her sincerity.

"That's okay. Just don't take it out on her. I'm not totally comfortable with this either, but I don't show it in front of her. It's really not her fault and she needs love and care in her life."

Shego nodded and they stood there in silence for a moment. Once they realized they were still holding each other, they let each other go and stepped away from each other. Another moment of silence passed between them.

"Well, I'll let you go back to sleep," Shego said.

Kim nodded. "Goodnight." She disappeared back into the apartment while Shego took off down the hall.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego went to get some work done since she had not done much beyond huff and puff since their last battle. If Junior's pattern held, he would attack again in a few days. She needed to get ready and make sure everyone else was ready, too.

The first thing that she did was check in with Wade. Instead of going to his workshop, she went to the Dark Room and called him. It was well after midnight, but Wade was working hard. He and Tatsu were in the Basement doing their thing.

"Don't you guys have wives that you should be doing right now?" Shego joked.

"Both our wives are working just like we are. What's up?" Wade asked.

"I just want to know how things are going," she replied. She arched an eyebrow as she heard Tatsu mumbling curses a few feet away from Wade. "Are those good swear words?" she asked curiously.

Wade rubbed the back of his neck. "Kinda. She's trying to install an update and the Paladins are fighting it as always. But, we're doing good. The next fight isn't going to end badly for us," he vowed.

"Good to know. All right, I've got other calls to make." She disconnected the communication and made another.

"What it do?" Shin answered the call.

"You tell me," she replied.

"It melts synthodrones is what it do."

"Already?" she asked skeptically.

"Well … no, not already, but we're getting there. Trin's stretched a little thin right now, so it's mostly just my brilliant mind doing this."

"Can you handle this on your own?"

He laughed. "You wanna help?"

"Do you need the help?" she countered seriously.

He was quiet briefly. "Come on down. It's not hard, but we need to get it done."

"Okay. I'm gonna go see Joss and then I'll be right there."

"Sounds good."

Shego ended the call and did not bother to call Trin since she was busy. She called Amy, who basically said she was busy and hung up. That did not surprise Shego. Whenever Amy was on a roll, she did not want to talk. She just wanted to work, which was fine by Shego.

"All right, go check on Joss and then help the psychopathic twin," Shego said and left the room.

She did not stay long with Joss, who was resting in her own bed. She was still in poor shape and spent most of her time asleep. Shego was content to just see Joss and confirm that she was still alive. With that done, she turned around to get back to the grind.

-8-8-8-8-

In the morning, Kigo-two woke to the smell of breakfast. She charged out of the bedroom and into the waiting arms of Kim. Kigo-two grinned and wrapped her arms around Kim's neck. Kim grinned, too.

"I like hugs," Kigo-two whispered.

"I'm glad you do because I plan to give you a lot of them," Kim promised.

"I want a lot of them. They make me feel nice inside. All warm and fluffy."

Kim laughed and hugged the child just a little tighter. Kigo-two giggled and Kim carried her to the table as Bonnie brought the food to the table. They sat down to eat, but were disturbed by a knock on the door. Kim rose to go answer it.

"Shego," Kim said in surprise. "I didn't expect you so early."

"Is it early? I don't sleep, so it all sort of runs together for me," Shego explained. "Is she not up yet?"

"No, she's up. Come in. Come in," Kim insisted, ushering the pale woman inside.

Shego stepped in and noticed the cozy little breakfast immediately. Three places that were set around the table and she was nothing more than a visitor into their lives; Kim and Bonnie's lives. She wondered if her emotions showed on her face because Bonnie became very interested in her plate. Kigo-two looked just as nervous and focused her eyes on eating.

"Well, we have a guest," Kim announced. "Shego, do you want something to eat? As you can see we just started breakfast."

The western ruler shook her head. "I'm not hungry. I can come back later."

"Nonsense. You're here now. Breakfast shouldn't take that long."

Shego nodded and sat on the sofa while they ate breakfast. She did her best to remain calm and think rationally. There was no reason to think that Kim and Bonnie were anything more than friends. Other than the fact that they were inseparable, she had seen them sleeping together on the floor last night, and they were all domestic together complete with a kid.

She could gather that her presence made their little breakfast tense because there was almost no talking at all. Bonnie quietly cleared the table while Kim took Kigo-two by the hand and led her over to Shego. Kigo-two stared at her feet.

"Hey, kiddo, do you know who I am?" Shego asked in a gentle tone. Kigo-two slowly nodded. "Are you scared of me?" she asked in the same tone.

There was another nod and Shego had to glance at Kim for that one. Kim shrugged, so Shego turned her attention back to the little girl. She had to take a deep breath to maintain her composure.

"Why are you scared of me?" Shego inquired and Kigo-two shook her head.

"Hey, you can talk to Shego," Kim gently insisted.

"You know what? Let's start over," Shego proposed and then she offered Kigo-two a brilliant smile. "I'm your momma," she announced.

"Shego!" Kim squeaked in surprise.

"Momma?" Kigo-two echoed with her eyebrows curled up, wrinkling her small forehead.

Shego looked at Kim. "What? That's the truth." She then looked back at the little girl. "You know Dr. Drakken made you, right?" Kigo-two nodded, so Shego continued. "To make you, he used stuff from me and stuff from Kim. So, that makes us your parents," she explained. "Do you know what that means?"

"No," Kigo-two admitted.

"It means that you're our child and we have to take care of you. It means we won't let anyone hurt you anymore," Kim told the little girl.

"But, I remember …" Kigo-two scratched the of her head. "I'm supposed to fight you because the creator said. He showed us pictures of you and said you were the enemy and you had to be killed," she told them and tears gathered in her eyes. "But, thinking like that hurts my head." Suddenly, as her tears fell, she began hitting herself in the forehead.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kim said and she gently took hold of the child's hand. "None of that. We don't want you hurt yourself. Use your words."

"Better still, don't think about it anymore," Shego told Kigo-two as she caressed the girl's cheek and the child seemed to settle down. She was surprised by how soft the girl's cheek was and how her touch actually calmed the child. She literally felt something soften inside her. "You don't have to think about anything that hurts you. We're not going to let anything hurt you, not even memories," she vowed while swallowing down a lump in her throat. She could only hope that she did not cry.

"Promise?" Kigo-two asked as she wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"I promise. In fact, I pinky promise. Do you know what that is?" Shego asked and the little girl shook head. Shego smiled. "We hook pinkies together and make a promise and nothing can break that promise. Okay?"

"Okay," Kigo-two agreed and held up her pinkie. She looked at her finger as if she did not know what it was. She also studied Shego's smallest digit before she did as Shego said and they hooked pinkies.

"I promise to keep you safe," Shego pledged. "Now, to make it official, we have to press thumbs together." Kigo-two nodded and did as Shego said. "Now, the promise is a promise," Shego proclaimed and the little girl grinned.

"Good. I don't like owies," Kigo-two said.

"No one does," Shego pointed out.

"You're good with her," Kim noted.

"I've had some practice." Shego smiled. "So, what do you ladies have planned for today?"

"She likes going outside, so we decided to take her out today. I should go put us in some clothes," Kim said.

Shego nodded and Kim walked away with Kigo-two. Shego sighed as soon as they were out of sight. That was tougher than she expected. It was not just the fact that Kigo-two was creepy, but she did not think she would have positive emotions toward the child. Kigo-two was adorable and tragic. Shego wanted to destroy her enemies just for what they had done to that poor little girl.

Shego growled and roughly ran her hands through her hair. She hated having these confusing feelings inside of her, but she decided to bury them. She would let them come out when she met Junior or Drakken or some representative of them. _It's not her fault. It's not her fault_.

"Why do I actually believe that? I'm actually _this_ goddamn rational," Shego muttered. "Nah, it's gotta be Kim."

Shego dismissed her emotions toward Kigo-two as a desire to be close to Kim. That made more sense to her than her being able to change her emotions so quickly toward the child. She stopped thinking about it when the pair returned.

"We're ready," Kim announced the obvious. "Bonnie, come on. Leave the dishes and get ready."

Bonnie stepped out of the kitchen. She looked at each person in the living room. Shego did her best not to glare at Bonnie, but she seemed to sense it. Bonnie's eyes ended up on the floor for a moment before finding Kim's eyes.

"You know what, you three go on without me," Bonnie said.

"But, we're gonna get ice cream again!" Kigo-two objected.

Bonnie offered a small, sorrowful smile. "I know, but you should do that with your moms."

"My moms?" Kigo-two instinctively looked at Kim and Shego. Both women smiled at her, so she smiled back.

"We do still have a lot to talk about," Shego said.

"I guess." Kim looked at Bonnie. "You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Bonnie said strongly, to the point that she was obviously answering more than that simple question.

"Are you sure?"

"I am. Go."

Kim was about to put up a fight, but Shego started for the door and Kigo-two followed her. The child was holding Kim's hand as usual, so she ended up tugging the redhead. Kim yelped and went along with the green-skinned pair. Bonnie was left behind.

"So, what do you want to do?" Shego asked.

"We were just going to explore," Kim replied.

"Then, allow me to be your tour guide," Shego offered with a smile as she held her hand out for Kigo-two. The child hesitated for a second before taking Shego's hand. The trio walked off and was met with stares that they ignored because no one said anything to them.

Shego showed them a few child-friendly places that Kim had not been aware of. There were parks, even though they were really just large open, garden areas. There was a playground and they allowed Kigo-two to run around it for a while. For lunch, Shego showed them where the best pizza was.

"I love this stuff," Kigo-two declared with a happy grin as she sampled pizza for the first time.

"Maybe tomorrow we can try hot dogs," Shego said with a smile and then glanced at Kim. "If that's okay with you."

"I'm fine with it," Kim replied. "Now, show us some other things that I seemed to have missed on my tour of the place, please and thank you."

A smile lit up Shego's face. "Yes, ma'am." She mock-saluted in jest and the tour continued on when they were finished.

At the end of the day, Shego walked Kim and Kigo-two back to the apartment. Kigo-two wasted no time inviting Shego in, but the leader turned her down because she had work to do. She did give the child a hug, which was good enough for Kigo-two.

"Hey, go show Bonnie your new toy," Kim suggested, nudging Kigo-two into the apartment.

"Okay!" Kigo-two said enthusiastically while clutching her plushie around the neck. She dashed inside to show off her stuffed elephant. Again she had proven to be a rather normal child, liking animals.

Kim smiled and looked up at Shego. "Thanks for such a great day. You're really good with her."

"I told you, I've had practice," Shego replied with a shrug.

"It shows. I'm also happy that you seemed really taken with her. You didn't seem creeped out at all."

Shego laughed a little. "She's not as creepy once you spend the day with her. Can we make a thing out of this?"

Kim smiled. "You already proclaimed yourself her momma. She might not understand that yet, but I get it. So, yeah, we can make a thing out of this. We need her to understand what moms are."

Shego nodded in agreement. It was definitely a good day and that shocked the hell out of her. She hated to think that she might actually like Kigo-two. _I just did this for Kim_.

-8-8-8-8-

The alarm blared, causing Shego to suck her teeth. "Dammit, Junior, don't you ever take a fucking break?" she huffed. She had been on her way to hang out with Kim and Kigo-two, but now she had to rush off to battle.

Shego rallied the troops on her way out, as she always did. She then called Kim. She would surprise herself as to why.

"Hey, Princess, what're you doing with the kid?" Shego asked. In all of the time that she had spent with Kigo-two, over a week, she refused to refer to the child by the designation "Kigo-two." It was not a name or even a nickname, so she just called her "the kid" or any nickname that came to mind.

"Bonnie's watching her. It's fine," Kim replied, as if it did not even surprise her that the pale woman was calling about Kigo-two.

Shego sighed, but she did not say anything in objection. They needed a babysitter, Bonnie and Kigo-two were familiar with each other, and there was really nothing wrong with Bonnie. It was for the best.

"See you out there then," Shego said and ended the communication. "Junior, you're gonna regret messing up zoo day."

The western ruler knew just how right she was, too. As soon as the battleground was established, Shego's side showed off new weapons. The most important weapon was held in what looked like pesticide packs. Once the units with the packs started spraying, they showed they were packing more than pesticides. The liquid inside melted any drone that they touched and the spray had a range that made sure Shego's people would not be attacked by the drones.

"Whoa! That shit works perfectly!" Shin cheered and then quickly turned his attention to the Bebes coming in.

"Stay focused and stay together!" Shego called to her troops.

Everyone did their best to keep it together as the Bebes came in. While the robots were as powerful and deadly as always, they were not in the usual numbers. The drones that were supposed to back them up vanished and the robots no longer had the distractions that had helped them before.

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim, use the Toltec!" Wade called out as more Bebes showed up. Even though there were not as many robots as usual, they were still killing soldiers.

"The Toltec is up? Spanking!" Kim cheered and summoned the Paladin with a button on her kimmunicator. She had not expected the Paladin because she knew that Tatsu and Wade were working on all of them and having a hard time of it.

"I'm up and so much more," the Toltec declared as it arrived on the scene. Kim wasted no time boarding the suit. "I have upgrades, Kim," the Paladin informed her.

"Then let's try them out," Kim grinned and took off. "You definitely faster and smoother," she noted.

"More powerful and new weapons," the Toltec added.

Kim moved quickly to see what the Paladin meant. Instead of the laser saber that the Toltec had, they now wielded a long-bladed bardiche. Kim swung it with the same skill that she used with her staff. She cut down rows of Bebes with the weapon.

"Kim, one of those planes is approaching from the north," the Toltec reported.

"That'll probably be the only one. Let's get her attention," Kim said and she drew the Toltec's side arm. As soon as they had a lock on the target, shots were fired. The shots pinged off the jet's shield.

"Hey, Kimmie, that one's mine," Shego said over the kimmunicator.

"Don't do anything that you'll regret," Kim warned. Her only response was a scoff.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego watched as the jet came around to her. She planned to tear the jet apart and take who she bet was Kigo-one into her custody. Unfortunately, before they got into a serious scrap, Junior had apparently called for a retreat.

"I'm not letting you go that easy!" Shego snarled as she flung several plasma blasts at the disappearing jet. There was no way that she could catch it on foot. "Shit!"

She really wanted that other clone, but then she realized that Junior's retreat was not by design. They had easily dismantled Junior's assault. They had won the battle.

"Next stop is to win the war," Shego said with a smirk. She knew they had a long way to go, but it felt like they were on the right path now.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Junior gets pissed while Shego, Kim, and Kigo-two have a picnic, which leads to Kigo-two getting a real name.


	43. 4:6: Twisting

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. Kigo-two is not mine and to avoid spoiling who she is, I won't tell you who she belongs to just yet.

4.6: Twisting

Junior pounded his fists on the clean part of his desk. "Damn you, Shego! How dare you take my victory from me! Damn you, Drakken, and your worthless soldiers!"

He was reeling about his defeat several hours ago. He had already contacted Drakken to scream at him about his inadequate synthodrones and how useless they were on the battlefield. Before hanging up, he demanded that Drakken have his clones ready for war sooner rather than later. He then tried to put his hand through his desk, but it was too cluttered and he ended up hurting his hand on a paperweight. Of course, that only served to piss him off further.

Sharing his wrath, Junior also contacted Hench to holler at him about the armor the drones were wearing and how it left them too exposed. He also demanded good news about helping Drakken with his clones and making them more durable. He had not been told what he wanted, though. He had hung up on Hench.

There was still one more call to make and once the emperor was done beating up his desk, he made the call. "Dr. Porter," Junior growled as soon as she answered.

"Yes, highness?" Vivian replied.

"Can you explain to me the point of having a spy is if the spy doesn't warn me that my enemy has weapons that can dissolve half of my army?" he snarled.

"Mirage cannot be everywhere at once and she tells me that Shego's side works chaotically at best and like they're to put the universe together at the worse. There's no method and barely a boss," Vivian defended her daughter.

"I don't want excuses! That hunk of junk is useless! She should've been able to tell me that Shego had those types of weapons! What is the point of having an inside man if it can't get inside information!" he barked and slammed his fist against his desk once again.

"Mirage can't be everywhere at once," Vivian repeated.

"Can she be somewhere useful? Can't she just take the form of Shego and just demand this information?" he huffed.

"Highness, if she were to do something like that it could cause trouble if she doesn't act exactly like Shego. It could be dangerous and she would risk being discovered."

"I don't care! I need information and that thing is supposed to get it! You need to start working on a new Mirage or new software for her because as soon as I can, I'm dismantling her with a sledgehammer!" he screamed and he was about to hang up, but he recalled there was something else that he needed to let her know. "I need Bebe production to go back to what it was," he told her.

"It will," she stated.

He hung up on that note. Frowning, he gnashed his teeth and pounded his fists on the desk a few more times. In the end, he just flipped the desk, but that did not sate him. Shego had made a fool out of him and now was trying to wrestle his victory from him.

"Shego, you thieving bitch. You can't have what is rightfully mine and you can't take it from me. You stopped the drones, but I have so much more than that. You will feel my sting," he vowed with a hiss.

Never before had one loss bothered him so greatly. It was just how rapidly she had turned things around. He had been overwhelming her and then, after a little more than a week, she had done a complete one-eighty, decimating his army.

"How the hell did she come up with that so quickly?" he wondered aloud. He decided to contact the most useless machine in existence as far as he was concerned. "Mirage, report," he snarled.

"Sire?" Mirage answered. "Now is not the best time …"

"I said report!"

"Sire, there is much rushing and rumor around here now …"

"Stop giving me excuses and report what the hell Shego's up to before I have your so-called mother take you apart!"

Mirage actually stammered. Junior did not think it was possible for the bucket of bolts to be nervous or frightened. He had always assumed the threats got to her like anyone else, but on a survival level, not an emotional one.

"I'm waiting, Mirage!" he bellowed.

"I understand, sire. As I said, there's a lot of rushing going on around here. Shego hasn't called any meetings, but the Elect all still seem to have their secret projects going, keeping to themselves."

"Find out what they're doing! You can shape-shift into any form! Make yourself useful and turn into Shego and learn something!"

"Highness, it's not that simple," she objected.

"It can't be that hard to turn into Shego and order people to tell you everything they know! I'm tired of your excuses! Get me information or get dismantled!" He disconnected the call before she could respond.

Junior found that his rage still was not quelled, but he had no more generals to holler at. He wanted to do more and beating up his desk was not enough. He almost called for Bonnie, only to remember that she was gone, which only enraged him further.

"Shego, you worthless bitch! I will bury you for this!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Of course, he planned to do a million other things to her before he finally buried her. Not that he would give her a proper burial when he finally did rid his world of her accursed existence.

-8-8-8-8-

"Can you believe that, Jessie?" Ryujin said as he spotted Kim with Shego and Kigo-two in a garden together. It looked like they were having a picnic. It took him a second to realize his companion had not responded. He looked at the space to his left to see that Jessie was gone. "Jess?"

"Sorry!" the teenager apologized as she trotted back to her place beside him. "Sorry, my shoe almost came off. I suppose sandals were not the best choice for a walk," she remarked with a sheepish smile.

Ryujin smiled, too. "I think some shoes with laces definitely would've been the better choice. I wanted you to see the Savior and the Legend. It looks like they have a mini-them."

Jessie's face scrunched up as she turned to see what the ninja meant. "Wow, how do you think they did that?" she wondered in awe.

"Let's go ask." He was gently tugging her before she could object. The best she could do was make sure her clothing was straight and presentable for standing before the two most powerful women on Earth.

"Hey, Ryu, Jess," Kim greeted them with a smile as they made their way over.

"Nice day for a date, eh?" Shego teased. Jess blushed, but Ryujin proved to be very much the product of both of his parents.

"Is that what this is? Are we interrupting?" Ryujin gasped with wide eyes.

Shego sucked her teeth, but grinned. "I meant you, you dolt!"

"Me?" Ryujin pointed to himself.

Kigo-two giggled. "Dolt is a funny word."

"Shego!" Kim scolded the ruler.

"What? At least it's not a curse word," Shego countered. She then turned to the little girl. "Pee-wee, this is your cousin Ryujin and his not-girlfriend Jessie. Be good and say hello."

Kigo-two looked up at the two teens and smiled. "Hi! I'm having my first picnic. It's fun. Wanna sit?"

Ryujin glanced at his aunts, who nodded. "Sure, we'll sit for a little while." He and Jessie sat down in the grass with the … family, he supposed it was.

"You have two colors in your hair like me and my momma!" Kigo-two said excitedly, pointing at Jessie's hair with one hand and tugging on her own hair with the other.

Jessie smiled. "Yeah, yours is pretty, too."

The child beamed with pride from the simple compliment. Kim and Shego could not help smiling, too. Ryujin's brow furrowed at all of the smiling faces.

"Uh … Aunt Kim, Aunt Shego, since when do you have a child?" Ryujin asked, scrunching up his face.

"Almost two weeks now," Kim replied.

"This explains a lot of the rumors going on about you two having a daughter. I thought Hana had suffered head trauma and started this crazy rumor," Jessie explained with a sigh of relief. "I was ready to rush her to the doctor."

"You know Hana?" Shego asked curiously.

Jessie nodded. "We met around the same time I met Kim."

Shego did not say anything, only looking at Ryujin, who had the common sense to blush now. It was a big deal for anyone to know Hana by name. The fact that Jessie was comfortable enough to joke about her spoke volumes, too.

"Does she know dear old dad, too?" Shego asked curiously.

Ryujin blushed more, but shook his head. "No, she doesn't. And don't tell him, even though I know he already knows."

Shego chuckled, but nodded. "My lips are sealed."

"Excuse me for asking, but how did you get a daughter, especially one this old?" Jessie inquired in an utterly baffled tone. "Did Chief Engineer Wade build her?" She sounded quite earnest in that question.

"Build? What, no," Kim answered with her brow furrowed. She laughed and shook her head. "She's just a blessing we got, like any other child," the redhead replied as she wrapped her arms around Kigo-two. The child cuddled into her.

"But, how did you get her?" Ryujin asked.

Shego waved the matter off. "Don't worry about it. It's not important," she assured them while patting Kigo-two's shoulder.

Ryujin nodded. "Okay. Hey, we should let you guys get back to your picnic."

Shego smirked. "I'm sure you two have much better things to do." Jessie bushed, but the comment went right by Ryujin.

"Not really. I was treating Jess to some lunch while we had the time. I figured that it'd be a good chance before Junior attacks again and messes everything up," he explained.

The western ruler could not help smiling. "Don't ever change, Ryu. Go enjoy your lunch."

Ryujin nodded and climbed to his feet. He helped Jessie up and she smiled at the "family." They smiled back.

"Thank you for having us. It was our honor," Ryujin said with his unique brand of informal formality.

"Yes, thank you," Jessie said, bowing her head.

"No big," Kim replied with a smile and a wave. The young pair took their leave. The redhead laughed a little. "I wonder if they're even dating yet."

"Knowing Ryu and the stock he comes from they probably won't be dating for another ten years," Shego remarked.

"That bad, huh?" Kim asked.

"From what I know, it took his mother several years to sort out her emotions toward his father. I'll give his dad the benefit of the doubt because he was going through several issues at the time."

Kim snorted. "Don't even give him that. In high school, a girl had a crush on him for, like, a year and he didn't notice until I said something."

That got a big laugh out of Shego and Kigo-two started laughing, so she was not left out. Shego glanced down at the child and then snatched her up. She tickled Kigo-two, making her laugh even more.

"What's so funny? What're you laughing at?" the pale women teased as she twirled and tickled the little girl.

"Mom, help!" Kigo-two cried for Kim and reached for the redhead.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Shego pulled the girl away and then climbed to her feet. She held Kigo-two high and continued tickling her. Kigo-two squealed and reached for Kim, only to be tickled more.

Kim sat back and laughed. Eventually, Shego tired out and sat down. Kigo-two was still giggling by then, collapsed against Shego's chest. As she gathered herself, she had the presence of mind to crawl away from her "tormentor." The child snuggled into Kim's loving form and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt slender arms engulf her. Shego reached over and caressed the girl's hair, which was soft and lush thanks to Kim's attention.

"Not to spoil the moment, but do you think we could talk about something that's been bugging me?" Shego requested.

"What? Is something wrong?" Kim asked with concern and subconsciously held Kigo-two tighter to her.

"Nothing serious. I just want to give her a real name," Shego answered, running a finger along the little girl's cheek.

"Real name?" Kim echoed.

"We all know 'Kigo-two' is not a name. You've said it yourself that it's the project and her order. She needs a proper name if she's going to be a regular little girl," Shego explained.

"I guess," Kim reluctantly agreed.

"Don't sound so enthused, Princess!" Shego threw her hands up.

"Well, she might like name," Kim pointed out, rubbing the child's back. "Do you want a new name, sweetie?"

"New name? Why?" Kigo-two asked.

"Because the name you have isn't a name. It's just a label that Drakken gave to keep track of you. Don't you want to cut him out of your life? Forget that he even exists? You can't have that walking around calling yourself 'Kigo-two.' It brings him up every time you say it," Shego replied.

The child nodded. "But, I like it because it sounds like both your names and I like you both. You're my moms," she explained in a low voice.

Kim smiled. "That we are and we won't force you to change your name if you don't want to," she promised while giving Shego a stern stare.

"Oh, yeah, she does," the pale woman muttered. "We can give you another name that sounds like our names," she offered.

"Oh, like Shekim!" Kigo-two proposed.

"I was thinking of something that wouldn't embarrass you later on in life," Shego said.

"Kimgo?" Kim chimed in.

Shego groaned. "Even worse as that's almost her so-called name already. Can we take this seriously?"

"I'm trying. What about …" Kim sighed and trailed off.

"How about Shim?" Shego proposed.

"Shim? Sounds really close to Shin," Kim pointed out.

"I like Shin!" the child proclaimed and the two adults groaned.

"You just wanted her to have a new name, huh?" Kim sighed.

"At least we'll have one sane Shin around here," Shego conceded. Anything was better than her having to call the girl "Kigo-two."

"So, I am to be Shin?" the child requested.

Shego ruffled her multi-colored hair. "Sure. Shin Possible."

Kim blinked. "Possible? You're sure about that?"

"Shin Go sounds weird to me," Shego said with a shrug.

"Your last name really is Go? You never told me that," Kim said.

Shego shrugged again. "It's not important. But, now, there's one more Possible in the world." She smiled.

"Shego …" Kim was speechless.

"Don't think too deeply on it, Princess. Now, if you decide to join the twins you won't have to worry about changing her name," Shego said, waving the whole thing off. Unfortunately, her voice quivered through the whole thing.

"Hey, Shin, what do you think of the name Shin Possible-Go?" Kim asked.

"I like it!" the child gave her stamp of approval.

"Now, it's settled," Kim declared with a smile. Shin smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

Shego sighed and shook her head. "I know when I'm beat."

The western ruler did not push the issue since she got what she wanted, namely for their daughter to have a real name. She also got the added bonus of Kim showing enough faith, trust, and kindness toward her by giving Shin her family name along with the Possible name.

"I think it's time to go home," Kim said out of the blue.

"It is getting dark," Shego said as she looked at the sky.

"And she's asleep," Kim commented while rubbing Shin's back. The child was sound asleep, curled up against the redhead.

"Oh, wow. I guess it was a pretty exciting day. I'll clean this up," Shego said as she gathered the remnants of their family outing.

"I can help," Kim offered.

"No, it's okay. You have her, so I can do this. It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Kim asked and Shego nodded in response. The younger woman sighed, but did not object again. "Just so you know, I don't have any intention of leaving you."

Shego's head popped up from her task. Emerald eyes blinked in sheer confusion. "Huh?"

"I'm not going to leave you and join my brothers. I certainly wouldn't take Shin from you if I did. I see how you feel about her and I believe in what you're trying to do. I don't think you'd be a tyrant if you did beat Junior and ended up ruling the whole world."

Tears actually glistened in stunned emerald eyes as a smile crawled onto her face. "Pumpkin … I've wanted to hear something like that for a really long time. You don't know how much this means to me …" She sniffled. The incredibly tough, take-no-shit Shego sniffled.

Kim reached out and rested her hand on Shego's forearm. "Shego … I'm sorry for everything you've gone through, everything I put you through especially. You've been doing great without me."

"Well, now, I want to do great with you."

Kim was not sure what to say and her eyes were just as bewildered as Shego's. The older woman smiled a bit. She really did not require more to make the day fantastic, but decided to try for more while her luck seemed good.

"Hey, how about we go to my apartment? I can make us dinner later," Shego suggested.

Kim hesitated for a moment and Shego was about to clean up. She was ready to just laugh the whole thing off and beg off work as an excuse for why it was a stupid idea in the first place. Kim stopped her from doing that, though.

"I should at least tell Bonnie we're not going to be there and see how she feels about being alone," Kim said.

It took all of Shego's self-control to not scream. She had to take a deep breath, though. "Bonnie's a big girl, cupcake, and she's been getting along fine during the day without you."

"Shego, she's used to us being home dinner, though."

Shego growled, but did not say anything further because she knew that she would talk herself right out of more time with Kim and Shin. Although, she was more than certain that would not happen now. Bonnie was still only comfortable hanging out with Kim and Shego was certain there was more to it than that.

Kim stepped off to the side and Shego did not bother eavesdropping on the communication. She just finished picking up their mess and decided to go get some work done. It was not like she had anything better to do and she should get ready for Junior's next attack.

"I'll see you two later," Shego said while Kim was still talking with Bonnie. She ruffled Shin's hair and kissed the sleeping child on the forehead. She then started on her way.

"Shego, I'm sorry. Bonnie –" Kim started to explain, but a held up hand from Shego stopped her.

"It's okay. I've got work and stuff to do, anyway. Like I said, I'll see you two later," Shego said and hurried away. She had never felt so stupid in all of her life, and that said a lot considering her life, especially since Kim came back in her life. "So stupid. And now I'm attached to the damn kid, so now I have to share a fucking kid with them."

-8-8-8-8-

"Wow, she is worn out," Bonnie commented as Kim walked into the apartment with Shin in her arms. Shin had her head resting on Kim's shoulder.

"Yeah, Shego knows like every trick in the book to keep her occupied. I think they're good for each other. It's hard to believe that Shego thought Shin was …" Kim glanced at the sleeping child. "C-R-E-E-P-Y."

"Wait, who's Shin?" Bonnie asked with her eyebrows drawing closer together.

"Oh, that's her now. Shego wanted to change her name to cut all ties to Drakken and Junior. She wanted to keep something that sounded like both our names, so we settled on Shin," the hero explained.

"Shin doesn't sound like your names combined."

"Shego suggested Shim and things evolved from there. So, she is now Shin Possible-Go. She really liked it. I think Shego was right with the name change."

Bonnie nodded. "Anything to help her get over her problems. Guess Shego's shaping up to be a really good mom."

"I think so. She really likes being around Shin. She was upset when I told her we had to come back here for dinner."

Turquoise eyes blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, she even invited us to dinner."

"When?" Bonnie asked, her eyebrows curling.

"Tonight."

"What? Why didn't you go?" Bonnie practically demanded, throwing her hands up.

"Because you cooked, like always. I didn't want you to be by yourself," Kim answered, a bit taken aback by Bonnie's attitude.

"Kim, I can get along on my own for a day or more and really that's thanks to you." Bonnie sighed. "Look, Kim, I'm happy you want to spend time with me, but now I think you're using it as an excuse. You're running from the issue now."

Kim took a moment to shift Shin in her arms. She hoped if was not obvious that she was stalling. She considered taking Shin to bed, but she doubted that Bonnie would have let her escape.

"Wha … what do you mean?" Kim decided that playing dumb would be her best bet.

"Kim, please, a blind man could see Shego's feelings for you and you're not exactly moving away from feelings for her since you've been co-parenting with her. I would love for you to pick me over her, but that's not going to happen," Bonnie stated plainly.

Olive eyes blinked. "Pick you?"

Bonnie chuckled. "You're just as thick as Ron. Hard to believe you're so smart. You've been there for me for every second of every day since I got here and have been taking care of me since then. You were the first person to show me consistent kindness in twenty-plus years. I knew before it even happened that I would have deep feelings for you. But, I also know enough to know my emotions are like this because you were nice to me."

"Wait, you're in love with me?" Kim pointed to herself.

Bonnie sighed and put her hand over face. "Kim, yes, I'm in love with you. I'll get over it since I know you don't love me as more than a friend. I want to get to that place too and you coddling me and denying yourself isn't helping."

"Denying myself? Bonnie, Shego is just my friend and, yes, she has feelings for me, but I just see her as a friend."

A small smile settled onto Bonnie's face. "If you say so. Go put Shin down. We'll eat in an hour." She walked away, letting Kim escape the uncomfortable conversation. The redhead sighed in relief.

-8-8-8-8-

"Momma!" Shin grinned as Shego entered Kim's apartment. The kid practically tackled her into a hug.

"Hey, there," Shego greeted her, running her hand through Shin's tuft of red hair. "Ready for a walk through little Eden?" she asked with a smile. She glanced up at Kim. "Your face does not look ready," she noted.

Kim tried to straighten her face out. "Sorry. I've just been thinking about going to see Joss, but I never really have the time."

"Is that it? Go see her and then you can meet us in little Eden. I can handle the kidling alone for a few hours," Shego said.

"What? No, are you sure?" the redhead asked, eyes searching Shego to figure out if she was being sincere and was confident that she could handle Shin alone.

"Totally sure." Shego patted Shin on the back to get her attention. "You're okay with it just being me and you together for a few hours, right? Your mom can meet up with us later?"

Shin looked over at Kim. "You'll come get us later like Momma usually does?"

Kim smiled. "Yeah, it'll be just like that. Are you okay with that?"

Shin wasted no time nodding. "I'm okay with Momma."

"And you're okay with Shin on your own?" Kim asked with an arched eyebrow pointed in Shego's direction.

Shego waved that off. "You're not the only one that used to babysit and I've only been sitting with Peewee for the past three weeks." She had been more than pleased that Junior had not attacked since they had spanked him in that last battle.

"Yeah, but it's usually the two of us."

"It's not always going to be the two of us, so I should get used to watching her on my own now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kim demanded.

Shego threw her hands up in surrender. "Whoa, calm down. I didn't mean it in a negative way. I mean that there'll be times in the day or week or whatever when we're not together and only one person will be with her. So, I need to try my hand at it right now while you go see Joss. She'll be happy to see you."

Kim's mouth fell open. "You've seen her recently?" She had been lucky to see Joss twice since she had gotten Shin.

"I saw her last night. I see her every night."

For some reason that was enough for Kim to agree to let Shego have Shin on her own. Shego grinned and exited the apartment with the child. Kim sighed, hoped that she had not made a mistake, and went to go see her cousin.

-8-8-8-8-

"Hey, cousin!" Joss grinned as Kim entered her apartment. Joss was on the couch, reclining and looking quite happy that someone walked through the door.

"Hey, how are you? Looking better than the last time I was here," Kim remarked as she hugged her cousin.

"I'm feeling a lot better. The doc thinks I should be up for fighting in about two weeks."

"Wow, two weeks."

Joss grinned. "Gotta love that green serum. Saved my life a few times now. So, what have I been missing being stuck in here?"

"I'm sure Shego told you all about the battle."

Joss' rolled her eyes. "Shego and Hana. Damned Shadow Eyes actually came to brag to me about a mission she's on. I want you to tell me about how you suddenly became a mom."

"Shego told you about that?" Kim asked in shock.

"She can't stop telling people about it. Everybody that comes into see me goes, 'did Shego talk your ear off about the kid, too? She does that when you can't walk away.' She said she was pissed at first, but now she's really happy. Happiness looks good her. You, on the other hand, look as confused as a chimp with a cellphone."

Kim sighed. "Do I? I'm not really confused. More like worried about leaving Shego alone with the kid. Did she tell you we named her Shin?"

"Yeah, told me just about everything about Shin. I can't wait to meet this amazing kid. She told me how you didn't mind at all how Shin was created. You really didn't mind?"

"I do mind, but I don't blame her. It's not her fault that Drakken's a freaking maniac," Kim pointed out.

"That much is true. Well, since your moms and have a kid together, are you two dating?" Joss asked with a sly smirk.

"What? No! Why would you even ask that? We're just friends!"

"Okay, if you say so. But, you know it sounds deeper than that from other sources. And I don't mean Shego."

Kim sighed, but drew the conversation away from her. She asked questions about Joss' condition and what she had been up to. Joss did not have much going on since she had only recently been allowed to get out of bed. The only changes in her days were the people that came to see her.

"You know, you and Shego should bring the kid by since I'm better. I'd love to meet the newest Possible," Joss declared.

Kim nodded. "I think that can be arranged. She'll be happy to meet you, I'm sure. Speaking of them, I should probably get going. I don't want Shego to feel overwhelmed."

Joss smiled. "Gotta get back to the fam, eh?"

Kim ignored that and hugged her cousin farewell. She made her way to little Eden, which was like a hands-on zoo. It was where Amy kept her animals before releasing them into the wilds of Kimber. The whole place, like a small city, had all sorts of landscapes and environment for the animals to enjoy.

Kim found Shego and Shin with some ease. Shego was holding Shin up so that she could pet the snout of a long-necked zebra. Shin giggled and Kim felt something inside of her tingle and grow warm. She ignored it and joined the pair.

"Mom, do you see this guy?" Shin cried with joy as Kim came up beside them.

Kim smiled and she stood on her tiptoes in order to ruffle the child's hair. "I do. Amazing."

Shin laughed and continued petting the animal. Kim smiled at Shego, who smiled back. Kim then did a curious thing – she stepped as close as she could to Shego and put her hand on Shego's arm. The pale woman glanced down at the small hand, but she did not say anything. They continued on with the trip.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: more Possible-Go family time.

A/N: So, Shin belongs to Blackbird, in case you were curious. The conversation about her name is also taken from him, for the most part.


	44. 4:7: First

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.7: First

Wade wanted talk with Kim and Bonnie, so that left Shego with Shin again. Shego did not mind and Shin was fine with it as long as her mom was coming back. Once she was assured that Kim would be back, she was all too happy to go off with her momma for a while because they had fun the last time it was just the two of them. Shego took Shin to a private garden and figured that she would just give Kim directions when the redhead was done with Wade.

"You can just run around here for a while, okay, Shin?" Shego said. She would try to get some work done.

"Okay!"

Shego turned her attention to papers and reports. She glanced up every now and again, making sure her charge was all right. Shin was chasing butterflies and dragonflies and the crosses in between. It was all well and good until Shego noticed sparks of green dancing out of the corner of eyes. She looked up to see Shin burning the insects with her powers.

"Shin, no!" Shego shouted as she shot to her feet.

Shin spun around at the sound of her name and her eyes went wide as her momma came bearing down on her. She made a small whimpering noise and actually flinched, apparently expecting the worse. Her eyes closed, bracing for … something; Shego was not sure what Shin had to deal with in regards to Drakken and Junior, but she knew it was awful.

Shego only grabbed Shin's hand, the one that had been ignited. She snuffed out the jade flames by simply covering Shin's hand with her own. The western ruler could feel her poor child trembling. After a few seconds, one large emerald eye opened to look at Shego. When it was clear that no hit was coming, the other eye opened, but the eyes quickly went to the ground.

"Shin, look at me," Shego ordered in a calm tone, which got the desired result only to see tearful eyes so similar to her own. "Shin, did you think I was gonna hit you?" she asked and the child nodded. Her heart broke and her throated tightened up for a moment. "Shin, you have to know and believe in your heart that I would never ever hurt you, okay? You're my baby and I'm your momma. I'd never hurt you."

"I got scared," Shin admitted in a whisper.

Shego sighed and wrapped Shin in a protective embrace. "You never have to be scared if I'm around. I'm here to protect and guide you and love you. I know you don't totally understand what that means yet, but in your heart, you have to know that I'd never hurt you because I love you and I'm your momma. The same goes for Kim. She'd never hurt you because she loves you."

"I do feel it," Shin muttered, moving to be closer with her momma. She buried herself in Shego's shoulder.

"That's good. That's a good start." Shego gently rubbed Shin's back. "I'm sorry I scared you, though."

"I'm sorry I made you mad," Shin replied.

"You didn't make me mad."

"But …" She gulped. "… You yelled."

"Do you even know why I did that?" Shego asked.

Shin shook her head. "I dunno."

"Because you were using your powers irresponsibly. You shouldn't use your powers to hurt things. You know that pain is bad, right?" Shego asked and she got a nod in response. "Those bugs feel pain just like you do and if you don't like when someone hurts you, then you shouldn't hurt somebody unless they try to hurt you. Understand?" Shego asked.

Shin's forehead wrinkled a little as she tried to take in what her mother was saying to her. Running a hand through her hair, Shin glanced down as if in deep thought. She eventually looked up and her eyes screamed, "does not compute!"

"I don't like hurting, but something in my head that makes my brain hurt tells me to fight and hurt people," Shin explained and she was back to trembling again. She whimpered and buried herself back in her mother's shoulder.

Shego's whole demeanor softened and she held her child to her, hoping to give her some comfort. "Oh, Peewee, I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I'm sorry for whatever they did to your brain. We'll help you. Doctor Blondie should be able to help you. I don't like that you're hurting," she said sincerely as she leaned down and kissed Shin's forehead.

Shin smiled. "That made me feel nice."

"It should." Shego kissed her forehead again for good measure. "Now, you go back to running around, but don't hurt anything. When I'm done with work, I'll show you how to use your powers, so you don't hurt things by accident. Okay?"

Shin nodded and gave Shego a hug before trotting off to chase more bugs. Shego sighed and shook her head as she returned to her work. Her concentration was a little shot. She was pissed off, due to the usual suspects – Drakken and Junior.

"How many other kids, _my_ kids, are they screwing up? How many of my kids and Kim's kids are they abusing, ruining, messing with their minds, and treating as weapons and whatever the hell else comes to their demented minds? Who the hell does this? Do you have absolutely no conscience at all?" she wondered aloud.

Of course, she more than knew the answer to her last question. Drakken had never had much of a conscience and Junior's entire mind died with his father. They would do anything to get their way and feel better about themselves, including what were once known as "crimes against humanity" and were now commonly called "business as usual." She knew that nothing they did should shock her anymore, but now that she had a daughter thanks to them, they opened up new emotional pockets inside of her.

She gnashed her teeth as she imagined rows of clones – or offspring or whatever the hell they counted as – looking exactly like Shin, being treated as Shin had. Her guts twisted as she thought about it and she almost threw up. The visceral reaction surprised Shego.

"It's not the idea of clones that bother me anymore, but the way those assholes are probably treating them. The idea of them just helping themselves to my DNA and Kim's DNA isn't exactly rubbing me the right way either," she grumbled.

She was ready to sit there and fume for the rest of the day, but she suddenly heard the sweetest noise – Shin giggling. The childish sound got her to look up and she saw Shin chasing a butterfly. Everything was going great for the kid until the butterfly mounted an offense and flew directly at Shin. The child stopped in her tracks and fell over in retreat. The butterfly landed on the defeated child's nose.

Shego smiled and suddenly found all of her troubles lifted from her for the moment as Shin hopped up to chase after the conquering butterfly again. Shego was able to get back to work with the thought of playing with her daughter on her mind. _My daughter_ …

-8-8-8-8-

"Kim, Bonnie, glad you could make it," Wade said as the pair entered the Basement. He and Tatsu had been locked in their workshop for weeks. They were definitely taking Shego seriously in wanting to "smack" Junior, as they all put it. As Kim understood it, they were able to pull the hours because their spouses were doing the same.

"Not like we'd tell you 'no' when we're all trying to stop Junior," Kim pointed out with a smile.

"You make a good point, but I hear you've been busy with a kid," Wade replied.

Kim smiled. "Shin. When you get a moment, you both have to meet her. Bonnie's really the only one to interact with her as a person. Trin's met her, but it's been mostly a doctor-patient thing. She needs loving people around her."

"Once we're done with this, we should have spare time. I'd love to meet her, though," Wade said with a smile of his own.

"I'm all over that after this," Tatsu concurred.

"Okay," Kim practically cheered. "Now, what's the stitch?"

"The Paladins," Wade said as he turned to the back wall, where all of the Paladins were lined up. The Toltec's eyes lit up, showing that it powered itself on. The Qin did the same.

"Looks like they want attention," Tatsu grumbled as she went to her laptop. She typed something in, but Kim and Bonnie were too focused on the machines.

"Good. I'd rather them want attention than to never turn on. Now, we figured since we showed Junior that the drones are useless because they're easier to stop than any pest I can think of, then he'll go back to Bebes. The reason he hasn't attacked recently is because he needs to get his Bebe numbers up again. When he does attack, it'll probably be a swarm. We'll need the Paladins, even if it is only two of them. So, before anything else, Bonnie, are you ready for this?" Wade asked, looking directly at Bonnie.

Bonnie blinked and opened he mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Her eyes wandered to the Paladin that accepted her as a pilot. Locking eyes with it, she felt a jolt go through her. It was as if she connected with the Qin and it gave her everything that she needed. She took a calming breath before responding.

"I am ready for this. I'm ready to help take him down," Bonnie stated in a powerful voice.

"Good. Then we'll have to walk you through the upgrades that we made to both suits. They're got two modes now," Wade explained and then he motioned to Tatsu. Kim and Bonnie turned their attention to the laptop.

"What did you change?" Kim asked curiously.

"You're already familiar with the Toltec's regular mode and everything that the Paladin is capable of," Wade said.

"Remind Bonnie what the Qin can do," Kim suggested.

Tatsu nodded and brought up the Qin's specs. Wade did most of the talking and pointing out everything that he could think of with the Qin. Bonnie asked plenty of questions and Kim chimed in if Bonnie did not ask an important question for whatever they were going over. By the end of the lengthy walk through, Bonnie actually looked more determined then ever.

"So, that's just the Qin in regular mode. Now we have to tell you about Warrior mode. It's a vast improvement for any Paladin that has it, which is just these two for the moment as they are still the only ones that come on," Wade pointed out.

"Have you tried giving them pilot options? I mean, the Toltec didn't turn on until I was standing right in front or it and it asked for me personally. The Qin pretty much did the same thing. They're not just machines you can hand to anybody in passing and you two know that. They're your pride and joys, after all," Kim reminded him.

"You're right," Tatsu concurred.

"Hey, Toltec, can you communicate with the sleeping Paladins and just find out who they'd like to operate them?" Kim requested.

"I can try. We can block each other like any other communication," the Toltec replied.

"Please and thank you," the redhead smiled. "I wonder if one would take Joss."

"Joss would be too reckless," Wade argued.

"I think you have her at an advantage to you because she's injured and Trin isn't letting her fight until she's totally and completely fine. While she's up and walking around, she's not totally fine. She can't run yet or anything. But, she would be able to use a Paladin if one picks her. It'll give us Joss' experience on the battlefield," Kim countered.

"We'll think about it," Wade sighed. Tatsu only shrugged. "Now, back to Warrior mode, so you two know exactly what you have. You'll have to start training, too. There's no telling when Junior will attack and we need to be ready, especially since Shego wants to leave him thinking about it," Wade said.

"Leave him thinking about it?" Kim echoed.

"Ask her about it if you're curious about it," Wade replied.

Kim nodded, being close enough to Shego to make such an inquiry now. She turned her attention back to the computer and studied the upgrades to the Toltec. She would rather just try everything out, but she did need to know what was there to try out. Bonnie seemed engrossed, though, and Kim wondered if Bonnie was a visual learner.

"Now, we need you two running drills and getting comfortable with not only the suits, but each other," Wade said.

"I can give up a couple of hours, but I can't leave Shego with Shin everyday," Kim replied.

"Give what you can," Tatsu said before Wade could open his mouth and put his foot in it. He arched an eyebrow at Tatsu, but she did not explain herself.

"Good. Let's get started then!" Kim declared. Everyone agreed and moved to get started.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim yawned as she went to retrieve Shin from Shego. She ended up walking in on what she suspected was the most adorable scene she would ever see between Shego and Shin. Shego was making her plasma dance on her fingertips and Shin was obviously trying to mimic it. Pride and joy danced in Shego's eyes as she watched Shin's small brow wrinkle in concentration. A warm wave washed over Kim that she was too tired to ignore, but also too exhausted to analyze.

"Mom, look at what Momma taught me to do!" Shin said as soon as she noticed Kim. The child's smile put the sun to shame and Kim could not help reflecting the expression.

"Okay, show me, please," the redhead requested.

Shin flared up her plasma a little and then made it wave somewhat. She growled as she tried to do what Shego was doing a minute ago. Her plasma flared higher and she snarled again, a vein popping up in her forehead. The grass-colored flames jumped higher and then burst out like a solar storm. Shin screamed in frustration while Shego gently put her hands over Shin's and doused her plasma before she set the whole garden ablaze.

"Why can't I do it? You just showed me how to do it!" Shin stomped her foot hard.

"Well, first, you need to calm down. You won't accomplish anything by throwing a temper tantrum," Shego chastised the girl. Shin pouted from the scolding.

"To do anything, you need to be calm and patient," Kim chimed in, backing Shego up. "Also, don't mope. You're not going to accomplish anything by moping either."

Shin puffed out her cheeks for a moment, but then sighed. Her shoulders dropped as did her pout. Shego actually smiled with pride. Shin had thrown her first temper tantrum, but had gotten over without an argument.

"Now, are you okay?" Shego asked the child, who nodded in response. Shego released Shin's hands and then turned her attention to Kim. "You look worn out, Pumpkin."

Kim laughed. "I feel that way, too. The Toltec's new mode is draining. Bonnie actually passed out on one of the cots that they keep down there. I don't know if I'll be able to make it home."

It was a joke, Shego knew that, but she decided to make an ass out of herself yet again. _Kim just makes me lose my mind and my cool_. "My apartments aren't far from here. You could crash at my place and maybe I could make you and Shin dinner later," she offered and noticed immediately how Kim's face sort of twisted. She spoke quickly to save herself. "Or I could take Shin for the night. You'd get to sleep in your bed and Shin would have her own room, which has to be healthy for her!"

Kim's face twisted even more and Shego was at a total loss on what to do to save face now. She had nothing left to back down from. _Fuck! Why am I like completely fucking retarded around Kim!_ Before Shego could cut into herself a little deeper, Kim spoke, albeit very softly.

"Do you want to take her from me because you can give her more stuff?" the redhead asked.

Shego sighed and turned her attention to Shin. "Hey, Peewee, how about you go chase some more butterflies while I talk to your mom?" she suggested. Shin nodded and trotted off while Shego stepped closer to Kim. "You've got to be beyond exhausted to say something crazy like I'm trying to take Shin from you because I can give her more. Whatever I can give her, you damn well know I'd give to you, too, in a fucking heartbeat. Now, can we act like adults and be serious," Shego huffed. It took all of her self-control not to scream or shake Kim.

For her part, the Legend appeared properly reprimanded with her head ducked and her eyes on the floor. Sighing, she scratched the top of her head, her face tensed and she took a deep breath. After that, olive eyes locked with emerald ones.

"You're right. I am being paranoid and ridiculous and downright crazy. I'm sorry. I am tired," Kim admitted because in her heart she knew that she was not being fair or even rational. The need for sleep and the emotions welling up inside of her were making her crazy, she was sure of that.

"So, do you want me to take her or will you come home with me to a nice bed and warm meal," Shego offered with a smile.

Kim laughed. "Since when do you cook? You were was always about going out to eat when we hung out."

"I've learned a thing or two over the years. You wanna take the chance?" _What a loaded question!_ She could not keep the challenging glint out of her eyes.

Kim did not take the bait. "Considering I still cook the same, if you can boil an egg, you have me beat. So, I'll take the free meal."

"Good. Let's collect our microbe and go."

Kim laughed as they scooped Shin up. Despite her fatigue, Kim carried the rather heavy child all the way to Shego's suite. Thankfully, it was not far; only a few minutes by foot. As soon as they stepped into the place, Kim gasped.

"What, did you steal Buckingham Palace?" Kim asked. It felt like she was standing in a European royal palace.

"Parts of it. I doubt the Queen's missing it since the whole United Kingdom is under water now," Shego remarked. "Lemme show you both your rooms for whenever your here, which should be whenever you feel like it. My home is your home."

Kim forgot much of her fatigue as they walked through the grand halls. While it was not as large as a palace, it was still impressive. Shin was ohhing and awing the second they stepped to her bedroom door, which was an elaborately designed French door. She all but leaped out of Kim's arms to explore the massive room. Her parents could not help smiling.

"Definitely a room fit for a princess," Kim noted.

"Then yours must be fit for a queen," Shego quipped as she led Kim down the hall to a set of French doors. She pushed doors open and revealed a space that was definitely for royalty.

"If your guestrooms look like this, I can't begin to imagine what your bedroom looks like," Kim commented.

Shego arched an eyebrow. "Guestroom? Kimmie, this your personal room. I set it up a while ago, just like I did with the squirt's room. We're all connected now and I want you both to know you're welcome in my life, in my personal space."

For a few seconds, Kim was totally speechless and even when she did regain the ability it failed her. "Shego … I don't know what to say …"

"Goodnight would be perfectly fine. The sheets are all clean and there's clothes in the drawers if you need."

Kim smiled and did as suggested. Shego closed the doors as the redhead entered the room. Kim had no problem stripping down to her undergarments before sliding into the soft, smooth cotton sheets. She was asleep before a minute passed.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim woke up to the smell of food cooking. Glancing at a clock, she noted that she had been asleep for two hours and she still did not feel up to par. She figured that she could stay up for the rest of the night if necessary, but she would definitely need a full eight hours after that. So, she got out of bed, put her clothes back on, and marched out into what she guessed would be considered the living room. It was empty, but allowed her to see directly into the kitchen, where all the action was.

"Okay, good work on the salad, little bit. You're a very good assistant," Shego praised Shin.

"I'm smart. Mom said so," Shin replied quite boastfully. She even puffed out her chest a little.

Shego chuckled. "Your mom is right. And she comes from a long line of smart people and she's really smart, so she would know."

"Her momma's no slouch in the smart department either," Kim remarked, causing two pairs of emerald eyes to lock onto her. She smiled and they smiled back. It was there that Kim realized that while Shin took after Shego in appearance, she had inherited Kim's smile.

"Hi, Mom. You slept for a long time. I helped Momma make dinner," Shin reported with a beaming grin.

"And she was a very good helper. Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes," Shego announced.

"That's plenty of time for Shin to go find a book and practice on her reading," Kim said, looking directly at the little girl. Whenever she had the time, she had been teaching their daughter how to read.

"Aw, but I'm not good at that stuff!" Shin objected.

"And you won't get any better if you don't practice," Kim pointed out.

"Not to mention, you won't stay smart for long if you don't read," Shego added. "There are plenty of books in my office for you to pick from. The office is down the hall and it's the door on the right before you get to the end."

"Come on, Shin. I'll help you pick." Kim held out her hand for the child.

Shin puffed out her cheeks, but went with Kim. They went where Shego directed and Kim's jaw dropped as she saw what Shego considered "an office." It was like being in a university library. Thankfully, it was also well organized and Kim easily found books on Shin's level. Shin was the one that picked out what to read, though.

"May I read it in my room, please?" Shin asked with a begging smile.

"Okay, but you have to really read. I don't want to go get you for dinner and find you playing with toys," Kim replied.

"I have lots of toys, too!" Shin reported. "Wanna see?"

"All right."

Shin held her books tucked under one arm and grabbed her mom's hand with the other. She then pulled Kim off to her room. It was definitely a room fit for a princess, appearing as if it should have been a room at Versailles. There were white and gold decorations all around, which surprised Kim since the universe knew what colors Shego loved. Of course, she probably left it white for Shin to decide on what color to make it, so her personality would shine through.

There were shelves stacked with toys up to the ceiling. A large, handmade dollhouse sat on a small rug in the corner. There were models of just about anything a model could be and stuffed animals off all types piled neatly by the closet. A table by a large bay window that was probably for tea parties and it was surrounded by highly ornate furniture.

It was obvious that Shego just put a bunch of kiddie things in the room, which was fine. Shin was still developing her own personality. As Shin evolved, the room could do the same.

"You have a very nice room here. Be sure to thank your momma," Kim said.

Shin grinned and nodded. "I will!"

"Good. Now, pick a spot and get to reading."

The child nodded and hopped onto her bed. It was a massive canopy bed made of dark wood with green pillows and sheets. Kim had to smile at that, especially the way that Shin snuggled up to the pillows. She quickly cracked a book open and began reading. Kim smiled more as she watched poor Shin's brow furrowed in concentration and frustration. She left Shin to her own devices because the girl would find her if things got too difficult.

Returning to the living room, she found Shego sitting on the couch, which was a semi-circle of black leather. Shego patted the empty space next to her and Kim sat down. She quietly noted that the couch was perfect. There was a brief silence between them.

"So, how was your sleep?" Shego asked.

"It was great. The mattress was perfect and the sheets were so soft. It was like sleeping on a cloud," Kim answered.

"That's good."

"What did you do while I slept the day away?" Kim inquired.

"Hung out with Peewee some more. Actually, I want to talk to you about her. I think we need to try to get her to open up more about what Drakken and Junior did to her. Today she was using her powers to kill insects and when I grabbed her hand to stop her, she thought I was going to hit her."

Kim gasped and nodded. "Well, years of abuse, both mentally and physically will do that. Trin's estimated her age based on her bones and growth and she figures that Shin's probably nine. That's nine years of torture. I've tried to get to get her to talk, but she'll always change the subject. She doesn't want to deal with it right now."

"Well, we have to do something. We can't let that simmer or there'll be a darkness in our little girl and who knows where that might lead."

Kim unconsciously smiled because of the designation "our little girl." Shego had taken to motherhood surprisingly well and each time it showed, Kim felt a flutter in her chest. It reminded her of the small jolts down her spine that she got when she saw Shego fight or when she fought against Shego.

"Do you want to get her a therapist? The one Bonnie has is working wonders according to Bonnie," Kim said.

"I think she'll definitely need a therapist. But, will she talk to a therapist if she won't even talk to you?" Shego pointed out.

"We have to get her used to other people before anything else. Then she'll know that she can trust and depend on more than just us. Besides, she has a lot of extended family she needs to meet."

Shego nodded. "We'll need to get her to know them just for the simple fact someone will have to babysit her when we go out to battles. She won't be fighting."

"Agreed. She will need a babysitter. Speaking of battles, I wanted to talk to you about something Wade hinted to. He made it sound like you wanted to something big and drastic. Shego, you're not going to do something crazy because of Joss, are you?" Olive eyes were soft and pleading and Shego could only stare for a long moment.

Shego eventually shook her head. "No, this is different."

"How so? They told me the last time this happened you did something crazy and attacked New Rome and a lot of people got hurt."

"No, this is very different. I was outraged then and I am still damned mad now, but I want to do something totally different. I'm different now. Princess … I have a child now, a family of sorts, and I don't want our kid inheriting this war. I don't want Shin to be Hana or Ryu or the twins. I don't want her to grow up and have to fight Junior, who I know will find someway to fucking live for-fucking-ever, if it's possible. I want a better life for our daughter. I want us to have a life with our daughter," Shego declared. At some point during her speech she had taken Kim's hand in her own.

Kim found that she did not mind Shego holding her hand. In fact, it felt pleasant and caused her heart to beat just a little harder. The effect increased as Shego's thumb caressed the top of her hand.

"So, you want to end the war?" Kim asked.

"I want to take steps toward it and I think everyone is with me, which is why we're all working so hard. Once we get the weapons together, I'll get in touch with the Rebels and see if they want in since I plan to attack their favorite target," Shego explained.

"You can actually contact the Rebels?"

"I can only contact Director. She thinks it helps her keep tabs on me." Shego snorted and rolled her eyes. "But, I can talk to her and see if she can talk the Rebels into joining us."

"Join us for one attack or in general?"

"Just one attack. Your brothers would never join me."

"Shego … what happened between you and the tweebs? I mean, Trin is with you, Joss is with you, my parents and Uncle Slim were with you. What happened with the twins?"

The pale woman shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. They were with me until James died, but they had been somewhat hostile to me since we lost Ann. After your parents died, they were really gone to me. I assumed they blamed me and then Jim started accusing me of trying to replace you and then they were gone with the Rebels and I was a step above Junior to them. You'll have to ask them what went sour."

Kim nodded. "Okay. Well, how about you tell me about your attack plan?"

"After dinner. Everything should be ready. You get the little bit and I'll set the table."

The redhead nodded and retrieved their daughter. They sat down to their first family dinner. It actually felt so right that Kim almost felt overwhelmed and tears gathered in her eyes over it. She blinked them away.

"We can watch a movie after dinner," Shego suggested and Kim nodded.

So, after their first family dinner, they had their first family movie night. They all curbed up on the sofa to watch the wall-to-wall monitor. Kim did not make it past the opening credits, falling asleep on Shego. She had not been more comfortable or felt more secure since she woke up in the strange world than she was cuddled up against the Savior.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shin learns more about her family and extended family.


	45. 4:8: We are family

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.8: We are family

"Are we going to stay here tonight since Mom is asleep?" Shin asked, speaking to Shego. They had been sitting on Shego's sofa, watching a movie. Kim was exhausted from a workout with the upgraded Toltec and she fell asleep before the movie even started.

"Yeah, I think you'll be staying here," Shego replied and she shifted Kim's dozing form against her.

"May I play with the things in my room, please?" Shin requested with hope shining in her green eyes.

The western ruler smiled. "Yes, you can. They're your things. But, you can't play with them all night. You have to go to bed. Tomorrow, you'll start meeting the rest of your family," she informed the child.

Shin blinked and her forehead creased. "Family? You mean like Aunt Trin?" She was very familiar with the blond doctor because she saw her at least twice a week. "Aunt Trin makes my head not hurt and takes away owies. I like Aunt Trin."

"Really? Well, that's good. You have more aunts and uncles and cousins. These are more people to love and protect you, like your Aunt Trin. Have you met your aunt's wife?"

Shin shook her head. "Aunt Trin has a wife? What's a wife?"

_Oh, boy. I've stepped in it now_. "Uh … Well, kiddo, a wife is a female spouse. And before you ask me what that is you have to listen and wait for me explain, okay?" Shego asked and she got a nod. "Now, spud, when people become adults, they start looking for people outside of their families to care about them. They form friendships and close bonds with other people. Sometimes, they fall in love with each other and decide spend the rest of their lives with each other. When a man does this, he becomes a husband and when a woman does this, she becomes a wife. You get it?"

Shin nodded. "Yeah. So, people can love people who aren't in their family?"

"Of course. Your mom isn't my family and I love her."

And there went Shin's brow again. "But, you and Mom always say we are a family, so you should love her," the little girl reasoned.

"Me and your mom didn't become family until you showed up, but I loved her long before that."

"Is Mom your wife?" Shin asked.

Shego chuckled and ruffled the child's hair. "No, kiddo, your mom isn't my wife."

"Are you her wife?"

Shego laughed even more. "No, I'm not her wife."

Shin nodded, but made a very honest admission. "I'm confused."

Shego leaned over, careful of Kim, and kissed Shin's forehead. "That makes two of us. Now, go ahead to your room. I'll check on you in a little while."

Shin nodded and slid off of the sofa. She trotted off and Shego turned her attention to Kim. A smile eased onto her face as she eased Kim into her arms. She was not surprised by how light the redhead was. She carried Kim back to Kim's room and laid her down. She put the sheets over the hero.

"I do love you and probably always will, no matter what," Shego whispered and she kissed Kim's forehead.

Kim purred from the contact and she actually smiled. Shego's heart fluttered and a blush stained her cheeks. She left Kim to sleep.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim rose in the morning to find clothes waiting for her at the foot of her bed. There was a note, pointing her in the direction of the bathroom and that it had everything that she should need to freshen up. Kim was not surprised by the size of the bathroom or the design, guessing that Shego or whoever designed the "royal" apartments wanted Shego to live like a queen.

After taking a shower and changing into new, clean clothes, Kim breathed a sigh of relief. She felt good and exited her room with an immense desire to be with her family. _My family_ … The thought brought a smile to her face.

"Okay, so, now you dip the bread in the batter," Shego could be heard instructing Shin no doubt.

"Like this?" Shin asked. Kim could see that the pair was working on breakfast. She guessed that they were making French toast.

"I think in a second I'm going to have to learn to cook. I don't want to be the only one the family that can't," Kim remarked as she stepped into the kitchen.

Shego's face actually lit up as soon as she saw Kim. The redhead felt that warm wave again. It caused her to smile at Shego, who blinked several times in shock. Shin chimed in before things got awkward.

"What now, Momma?" Shin asked since her slice of bread was thoroughly coated in batter.

"Oh!" Shego yelped and breakfast was the focus of her attention again.

Kim observed and thought that scene before her was adorable. _You'd never know there's a war or that Shego is anything more than a happy mom_. She realized that was what Shego was trying to explain to her last night. The fact that she was still smiling, let Kim know that she wanted it, too. _I'd like a normal, peaceful family existence_.

"And now we have breakfast!" Shego announced, giving Shin a high-five.

"I really need to learn to cook to keep up with you two," Kim commented with a laugh.

"I'll show you some tricks tonight for dinner," Shego said.

Kim was dumbstruck, which she noticed happened a lot lately. So, Shego expected her to come back. She was not adverse to the idea, especially since she was enjoying Shego's company and especially since things finally felt right in her world. _I feel balanced and like I can breath_ _for once_.

"I can help, too? I know cooking tricks, too," Shin reminded her mothers.

"Of course, pipsqueak," Shego replied.

"I look forward to it," Kim declared in earnest.

The family sat down and had a pleasant morning meal. Kim and Shego filled Shin on the people that they planned to introduce her to. Shin listened avidly, eyes locking on whichever of her mothers was talking. Her enthusiasm kept her mothers smiling.

-8-8-8-8-

The first place that the Possible-Go family went was Joss' place. Kim promised Wade that she would bring Joss by to see if a Paladin would accept her as an operator. So, Shin would meet Joss and they would all go see Wade and Tatsu.

"Joss, are you ready?" Kim called into the apartment as she let them in with a key that her cousin entrusted with her. Joss still had aches and pains and Kim did not like for her to walk from the bedroom to the door if unnecessary. Joss had given into the ridiculous concern because Kim had been very serious.

"Almost," Joss called from her bedroom. "Make yourselves comfortable!"

The family stood there and waited a few seconds before Joss hobbled out to them. Joss' eyes immediately went to Shin and her face lit up as she focused on the child. She wasted no time bending down to Shin's level, popping a lot of joints as she bowed.

"Howdy, little cousin, I'm Joss. Cousin Kim has told me so much about you," the auburn-haired woman said. She stuck out her hand and Shin shook without any hesitation.

"I'm Shin and my moms told me that cousins are like good friends who're always there for you and love you," Shin reported.

Joss glanced up at the pair and then smiled at Shin. "Your moms are right about that. But, they forgot to tell a really cool thing about cousins. Want me to tell you?" she asked in a pretend whisper.

Shin was nodding before she could remember how to talk. She also looked up her moms, as if she wanted their permission to hear the secret. She did not wait for her mother's to respond, though. "Please and thank you."

"You have to come close," Joss said and Shin trembled with anticipation as she leaned in. Joss almost giggled as she moved to whisper into a little green ear. "Cousins do all of the fun stuff your moms won't let you do." Shin actually gasped and the giggle escaped Joss. "We'll hang out later, okay?"

Shin nodded eagerly. Joss chuckled and slowly rose to an upright position. Shego gave her a stern look, silently reprimanding her from any future shenanigans that she got Shin involved in. Joss only shrugged and smiled.

"Well, let's go get me one of those Paladins," Joss declared like it was a foregone conclusion.

"Let's hope," Kim said.

"And if you do get one, no operating it until you're fully healed," Shego added in.

Joss rolled her eyes, but they all knew that Shego would have her way. The group wasted no time leaving Joss' apartment and moving toward Wade's workshop. Joss fell behind a little and Kim stayed in step with her. Although, the redhead would soon suspect that was an act to get her somewhat alone.

"So, she's definitely cuter than I thought she would be," Joss commented in low tone. She glanced ahead of them, checking to see if Shego or Shin heard her.

"I told you she looks like a little Shego," Kim argued.

"Not with that bit of red in her hair and her eyes while closer to Shego's in color, reflect you in them a lot more. But, she does look pretty much how you described her. I expected her to look like a hot mess because Drakken is nuts. She's cute. I see how you could accept her so easily. She looks like a normal kid and everything. How'd you get Shego to go for this, though?"

"She changed on her own," Kim answered. "I told you what happened. It's not some great mystery."

Joss shrugged. "She must really love you to just accept a clone like that. We all know how she feels about clones."

"It's Shin that she loves and Shin's not a clone," Kim argued.

"Above all others, she loves you. She was probably changed because you loved Shin first."

Kim could not find fault in that since she knew how Shego felt about her and how Shego felt about Shin initially. Something changed Shego and Kim liked to think it was hanging out with Shin had changed her. That might have been part of it, but Kim knew that was not all of it.

"How do you feel about Shego?" Joss asked curiously.

Kim was taken aback by the question. "What?"

"How do you feel about Shego? You spend all of this time with her and you have a kid with her. Every time you talk about her, you seem happy and impressed with her."

Kim blinked. "I do?"

"You smile so much."

"I do?"

Joss nodded. "Yeah, you do. If you're happy, embrace it and roll with it. Life is too uncertain to worry about being happy."

Kim nodded. _Life is uncertain, especially around here, especially during this war. Why should I fight or be ashamed that I like spending time with Shego? We have a child together and we were friends before all of this started_. She smiled.

"You're right, Joss," Kim concurred.

Joss smiled. "I know. Kim, I hope you're not worried about what people think because everyone loves you and Shego and already think you should be a couple."

"Really?"

"Totally! Hell, I'm all about that myself and, obviously Drakken and Junior think you're the ultimate couple since they're making kids for you," Joss remarked and she nodded toward Shin, who was talking Shego's ear off.

Kim laughed. "Let's go save Shego."

Joss agreed by speeding up and Kim did the same. They caught up with the green-skinned pair to find out Shin was offering a tour. She was pointing out all of the places that they passed by that her mothers had taken her to. Shego looked at Kim and smiled, which earned her a smile in return.

"Damn, you two sure have been active with this kid," Joss commented as she listened to Shin go on.

Kim and Shego only shrugged. Shin filled the air all the way to Wade's workshop. She was then properly awed by all of the machines and sparks from devices being put together. Kim made sure to keep Shin close to keep the child from being injured.

"Hey, we were wondering if you guys were going to show up early," Wade greeted them as he opened the door the Paladin room.

"We've been out and about since breakfast," Kim answered.

"And who's this you have with you?" Wade asked with his eyes on Shin, even though he already knew. Shego had called him last night to prepare him, but she had kept things pretty short.

Kim moved Shin to stand in front of her. "Shin meet your Uncle Wade Load. Wade, this is Shin Possible-Go."

"Hey, there, cutie," Wade said and he put his hand out for her. She glanced up at Kim and then at Shego. They both nodded and she turned back to Wade and took his hand. He smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shin."

"Hi," the child replied, unsure of what else to say.

"We'll go introduce her to Tatsu while you and Joss see if any of the Paladins accept her," Kim suggested.

Wade nodded. "Sounds good."

They all walked off in the same direction, but the Possible-Go family continued on. Shin stared at the Paladins as they went by, clutching her mom's hand tightly. The little girl began to tremble and her face fell with each step until it was clear that she was ready to burst into tears. Kim resisted the urge to pick Shin up and cuddle her.

"Shin, it's okay, baby. You're never going to be on the wrong end of one of those again," Kim promised as she hurried Shin by the suits. Unfortunately, Tatsu was working by the last suit.

"Mom," Shin whimpered and held onto Kim tightly.

"Hey, peewee," Shego said in a soothing voice as she bent down to Shin's level. "They're on our side. Remember, you're not fighting for the bad guys anymore. No one's going to hurt you over here, sting bean. Remember, we promised you that?"

"Yeah," Shin whispered.

"So, you have to trust us and that we won't let anything hurt you," Kim vowed.

Shin nodded, but she continued shaking. She took a deep breath, as if trying to steel herself. Shego smiled while Kim held Shin's hand a little harder.

"Hey, Tatsu, you want to meet your niece?" Kim asked with a smile.

Tatsu turned around and focused right on the child. "Hey, there, little Kim-Shego person."

Shin's brow wrinkled immediately. "My name's Shin. Kim and Shego are my moms."

Kim decided jump in and help a little since Tatsu was not known for her people skills. "Tatsu is your aunt, Shin. She's married to your Aunt Trin."

Shin smiled because of the familiar name. "You're Aunt Trin's wife. My momma wants my mom to be her wife."

Shego's mouth pretty much hit the floor. "Flesh of my flesh totally throwing me under a bus!"

"It wasn't like it was a secret," Tatsu pointed out.

"She's right. You did scream it at me for the most part," Kim agreed.

Shego rolled her eyes and found herself saved from further embarrassment by a Paladin. "Guess they don't just save us on the battlefield," she muttered while Shin practically just jumped out of her skin. Kim held the child close.

"Joss Possible should use the Comanche for battle," the suit announced. It was a black and crimson suit that Joss and Wade were standing in front of.

"The Comanche?" Joss echoed.

"Sounds like you've just been accepted into the program. You can join Bonnie in the Hanger to get used to the suit," Wade informed her.

"I get a Paladin?" Joss asked in disbelief.

"I believe that's what the Comanche said," Wade replied.

"Together, as two warriors, Joss Possible, the Comanche will help bring an end to this war," the Paladin proclaimed.

"This is definitely the Paladin for you. Let's get you set up," Wade said.

"Hey, don't get too into training. She's still healing. Clear this with Doctor Blondie," Shego barked. Joss glared at the overprotective monarch while Wade just stepped back to see what would happen.

"We'll show ourselves out," Kim said, wrapping her arm around Shego's. The pale woman looked down at their entwined limbs and then at Kim, who smiled at her and also nodded down to their daughter.

Shego gulped. "Uh … Yeah, lots more relatives to introduce the pip squeak to," she managed to mutter.

"Say bye to your cousin, uncle, and aunt," Kim instructed Shin, who did as ordered, but her attention was fixed on Joss' Paladin. Shego and Kim rushed their daughter at out of the Basement.

"Where to next?" Kim asked curiously. She still had her arm locked with Shego's limb.

"We could go and see Amy. It scares me to think of how she might react, though. DNA and genes are still her thing and she might see Shin as an experiment," Shego cautioned the redhead.

"Hey, there's Ryujin and Jessie," Kim pointed to a cafe. "Aw! They're on a date."

"All the more reason to interrupt," Shego declared with a sinister laugh while walking toward the teens.

Kim shook her head, but followed behind the pale woman. Shin was holding her mom's hand, so she had to go along with Kim. Seconds later, the Possible-Go family stood before Ryujin and Jessie. The smiles that greeted them definitely did not give off the impression that the family was interrupting them.

"Aunt Kim, Aunt Shego, what's up? How's it going little cousin?" Ryujin asked with his warm gaze on Shin.

Shin opened her mouth, as if prepared to answer him, but she was still overwhelmed from seeing all of those Paladins. She hid behind Kim, who caressed the top of her head. It helped calm her down.

"Hey, little bit, you don't have to be nervous. You already met Ryujin and Jessie," Shego pointed out. Shin nodded and offered the teens a brief wave.

"She's adorable!" Jessie proclaimed with a bright smile. "She looks like both of you."

"She should. She's our daughter," Shego said as if it was perfectly normal. It was to her and Kim at that point. They had been parents for over a month now.

"Your daughter. It still sounds so weird. I mean, it's not that I never thought you'd have kids, but it wasn't really something that crossed my mind," Ryujin explained with a half-smile. "Are you ever going to fully explain how it happened?"

Shego waved that off, just like the first time when he asked. "It's a long story, but this is your cousin, Shin Possible-Go. Shin, this is your cousin Ryujin," Shego introduced the pair again because now she had a name to give Ryujin.

"Shin, huh? You look a lot smarter than the other Shin I know," he remarked and that got a smile out of the little girl.

"My moms say I'm really smart," Shin informed him.

"I'll bet they're right. It's my honor to meet you, Shin Possible-Go," Ryujin said as he reached over and shook the child's hand. She giggled and smiled at him. "You wanna sit and have an ice cream shake with us?" he proposed, motioning to the table.

"I like ice cream," Shin said.

"We'll stay for some ice cream," Shego agreed and chairs seemed to come out of nowhere for the family. Shin focused on Jessie while her mothers ordered a treat for her.

"I still like your hair because it's two colors, like mine and my momma's," Shin stated with a grin. Her mothers smiled just because it seemed like such a childish way to start a conversation, saying something that she had said the first time that she met Jessie.

Jessie smiled. "Thank you. Your hair is still very nice, too. How did yours become two colors? Mine was made this way," she said pleasantly. Kim thought that was an odd choice of words, but she did not say anything since Shin was engaged.

"Mine, too! My creator thought it was weird. I dunno if he wanted it like this, but I like it because it's the color of my moms hair combined and my momma has two colors in her hair, too. I like it because they're the nicest people ever," Shin declared quite proudly.

"Creator?" Ryujin echoed, giving his aunts confused and curious looks that they ignored.

"My mom was a blond, too, which is why I like my hair," Jessie said.

"Do you still have a mom? I just got mine, but I love them a bunch. Do you love your mom?" Shin asked.

Jessie smiled softly and nodded. "I do love my mom."

Shin and Jessie clearly hit it off. Things got closer for them as Shin saw that they had the same ice cream. Shin also got interested in Ryujin when she saw her cousin's sundae. The peanuts and hot fudge smelled good and Ryujin offered her a taste as soon as he noticed her interest. Her eyes lit up as she tasted it.

"Joss was right! Cousins do cool stuff!" Shin proclaimed with a grin, which made the whole laugh.

"Have as much as you want," Ryujin offered.

"Not too much," Kim objected.

Shin enjoyed her ice cream, Ryujin's ice cream, and then some of a fruit smoothie that Kim eventually ordered. By the end of the meeting, Shin was smacking her lips and patting her belly. The actions earned her more laughs.

"Well, this was great and all, but we have more people to meet," Shego announced.

"Have you seen Hana yet?" Ryujin asked.

"No," Shego answered.

"She's over at the enclosed garden. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to meet her cousin," the blond ninja pointed out.

The mothers nodded and after farewells the family was gone. Shin turned around a few times to watch Ryujin and Jessie. Kim smiled at the effort.

"This is going well," Kim commented.

Shego nodded. "It is, which is great. She'll get a lot of love and that'll help her trust people."

The redhead smiled and nodded. The walk to the garden was filled by Shin going on about her ice cream and how good it was, along with how nice Ryujin and Jessie were. Kim and Shego chimed in when appropriate. The talk made the walk seem short. They came to a garden that was locked and Shego opened it with a palm scan. The thin wall slid to the side, revealing the two most powerful Shadow Hand ninjas fighting each other.

Shin ducked behind both of her mothers while Shego cleared her throat. "You two think you could stop for a few seconds and meet your niece and cousin?" the western ruler requested.

Shadow Hand and Shadow Eyes stopped in mid-move to see what Shego was talking about. They turned and focused on the child hiding behind Kim and Shego. Shadow Eyes let out the loudest coo.

"Oh, god, she's more adorable than I've been hearing about! Hi, Shin! My name is Hana Stoppable!" the kunoichi said as she charged over. She halted right in front of Shego and Kim.

"Shin, this is your big-mouth cousin Hana," Shego said, motioning to the peppy ninja.

"Cousin?" Shin poked her head out to inspect Hana. Once she deemed Hana no longer a threat, she stepped out to shake hands as she had learned was the way to meet people.

"Yeah, cousin," Hana said as she shook the little girl's hand.

"Is that a cousin, too?" Shin asked, pointing at Shadow Hand with her free hand.

"No, that's an uncle," Kim answered.

"Like Uncle Wade?" Shin asked.

Kim glanced at Shadow Hand. "Something like that."

"Nice to meet you, Uncle …" Shin's brow furrowed as it dawned on her that she did not have a name to go with the title.

Shadow Hand did not fill in the blank and started walking away. Kim glanced at Shego, who nodded for the redhead to go after him. She chased him down and reached out for him, but he viciously yanked away from her.

"Ron, what is wrong with you?" Kim demanded in a low hiss.

Shadow Hand turned around and seemed like he was glaring at her. He then looked over her, where he could see Shego, Shin, and Hana. She pushed him in the chest to get his attention, which worked.

"What? It's not like Shego and Hana don't know who you are," Kim pointed out. "It's one thing to forsake me, but Shin didn't do anything to you and she needs to know her family. She's had a horrible life from the moment of coming into existence and she doesn't need an uncle making matters worse."

He growled. "It's … It's not …"

"Talk to me, Ron. I want the guy who once upon a time was my best friend and now protects the leader of the free world to be there for my daughter," Kim begged.

He sighed and shook his head. "Kim, you don't want that."

"Why wouldn't I want that?" she asked in a tearful whisper.

"Kim …"

"Talk to me, Ron. What's wrong? What did I do to you?"

He shook his head again. "It's got nothing to do with you. You don't want me around your kid. I'm surprised Shego even let you entertain that idea. She didn't tell you what I did?" his voice cracked and jumped.

"Talk to me," she continued to implore since it was working. Her heart was beating rapidly, elated and frightened at the same time. _It's great that he's talking to me, but I don't like how somber he sounds_.

"Kim, I killed Monkey Fist, right in front of Ryujin," he whispered.

"What?"

"I'm not good for kids to be around just for that. How could I do something so careless and gruesome in front of my own child?" he asked in horror.

"Ron …" Kim reached out and grabbed his hand. He actually gasped as soon as the contact occurred. "Ron, one regrettable action doesn't make me want you out of my life or my daughter's life. Just like that action doesn't lose you your family. Ryujin is still with you and Hana is still with you."

He slowly nodded. "That's true, but I still can't believe I did that."

"One bad act doesn't make you a bad person," she whispered the promise.

He swallowed loudly. "How can you be so forgiving? I've been so cold to you. Hell, I am cold."

"Ron, I just want my best friend back if possible. If not, then can my daughter just have an uncle? Shin needs all of the family she can get. Drakken and Junior truly tried to ruin this child. Help heal her."

"Kim, I might hurt her like I did Ryujin."

"Ron, Ryujin is a great kid. Be happy about that. He's a hero and a great legacy to you and Yori."

He nodded slowly. "He is a great kid. I don't know how he turned out that way."

"Good genes," she joked.

"Then Shin's safe from whatever the hell Drakken and Junior did to her," he said.

"I hope. So, will you go meet her?"

He sighed. "Kim, you know there's more. I need to say it while I'm here with you. Seeing you has left me so confused. I don't know if I wanted you gone or if you being alive pissed me off since Yori was dead or what. Honestly, I can't explain everything so perfectly. I know I got pissed that Shego let you in on the war. I thought you'd get hurt or killed. I thought you'd drag morale down once that happened and people would see the demigod was human, after all. I just thought you'd do a lot more harm than good. In my head, you'd lose this whole thing for us and I'd lose you again. I wouldn't be able to save you again."

"Ron, that wasn't your fault. I jumped in the way of that blast," Kim argued and then her eyes went wide. "That's what happened. I jumped in front of Shego." _And told her that I admired her. Now, it feels like so much more_ …

"I should've done something."

"Like what, Ron? We were in a volcano and it was exploding. You'd have died if you tried anything. You did the right thing and you're still doing the right thing. Now, will you meet my daughter?"

He swallowed loudly. "I'd like that. I'd also like my best friend back."

Kim gripped the hand in hers a little tighter. "You got it, buddy."

They headed back to Shego, Shin, and Hana. Shadow Hand went right to Shin and bent down to her level. With one hand he reached for hers while his other hand peeled off his mask. Shin was greeted by a small smile on a scarred face topped with short, totally white hair.

"You got an owie," Shin said, tracing the scar going down the left side his face.

He laughed. "Yeah, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Now, I'm your Uncle Ron. How are you?"

"I'm fine. My moms have been letting me meet my family today. You're my second uncle," Shin explained.

He smiled again. "I'm honored."

"Cousin Ryujin said that, too."

His smile could not help getting bigger. "I'll bet."

The exchange lasted a little longer before Shego broke it up since they still needed to see Amy. Before leaving, Shego patted Ron on the back and Kim hugged him. He replaced his mask before they were even two feet away.

-8-8-8-8-

Amy had been working when they showed up, but all of that went out of the window when she saw Shin. The squeal of joy was ear shattering and Amy scooped Shin up before introductions were made. Shin's shocked expression screamed, "I need an adult! I need an adult!"

"Shin, meet your Aunt Amy. Amy, meet our daughter, Shin," Shego said with a pained grimace.

"Aunt?" Shin echoed in disbelief. Her other two aunts were not quite so touchy, so she did not know what to make of Amy.

"Daughter?" There was a distinct twinkle in Amy's eyes.

Shego waved it off. "We'll explain later."

Amy quickly accepted that and turned her attention back to the child. "Ohh! You are so cute! I always wanted a daughter, but in these times it scares me, but a niece is the next best thing!"

"Mom, Momma!" Shin put her hands out for one of them to save her.

Eventually, Shego stepped in, making Amy put Shin down. Amy was not deterred and pulled Shin away to see her lab and play with some of her animals. The animals helped endear Amy to Shin and they spent over an hour together, talking about animals and cuddling said animals. The day wore Shin out and she had to be carried home.

-8-8-8-8-

"Today went really well," Kim commented, curled up on Shego's sofa. They were both in pajamas and sipping some hot chocolate. Neither of them liked coffee.

"No kidding. How'd you get through Ron's thick skull?" Shego asked. They had just put Shin to bed; she had been falling asleep at the dinner table and in her bath. Shego had enjoyed that. She enjoyed having a daughter, a family.

"I think he was just ready. Shin might've been the breaking point. He started with why she shouldn't meet him. He talked about what happened with Monkey Fist and in front of Ryujin. He's really upset over that."

"Did he tell you Monkey Fist is the one that killed Yori?"

"No, but Ryujin told me a monster killed his mother attacking the ninja school. Only Monkey Fist would do that."

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you that the same monster almost killed him. How do you feel about what Ron did?"

Kim shrugged. "I'm not trying to think about it. I don't want to think about it. I'm not judging any of you. I understand you're in a war."

"I hope you never have to do that."

Kim smiled and moved closer to Shego. Their legs ended up touching. They both smiled at each other, but did not say anything. They quietly and contently sipped their hot chocolates.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim and Shego leave Shin with Jessie as Junior attacks and Shego decides that it's time to fight back.


	46. 4:9: Torn apart

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.9: Torn apart

The calm before the storm was over. Junior had been inactive for too long after trying to overwhelm them. So, when the alarms blared, Shego was not surprised. She was more concerned about Shin and left the Dark Room while barking orders into her Kimmunicator.

"Shego, I don't think Bonnie and Joss are ready to fight yet. At least not in their Paladins. They can barely work the Paladins in regular mode, so Warrior mode is out of the question. I have other bad news about the Paladins, but that can wait," Wade reported.

"I don't want any other Paladins than the one Junior usually sees. No surprises until the big party," Shego replied soundly.

"Sounds good. Where are you headed? What transport will you be on?"

"I don't know. I need to talk to Kimmie and find out what we'll do with Shin," she answered as she jogged to the nearest garden.

"Call me back and hurry up. Those refugees are counting on us," Wade said, as if she needed a reminder.

The communication was disconnected just as Shego laid eyes on he family. Kim was down on her knees and holding onto Shin's arms, clearly explaining something. Shin looked frightened and on the verge of tears. As Shego drew closer she could hear that Kim was explaining the purpose of the alarm.

"Do I have to go fight?" Shin inquired in a confused, slightly panicked voice.

Before Shego could scream, "Over my dead body!" Kim spoke up. She was much calmer than Shego was. "No, you don't have to fight. We don't want you fighting. I already got in contact with Jessie and she agreed to watch you while we're gone," Kim informed both pale females.

Shin gasped. "You're gonna go fight and leave me?" Her brow did that cute little wrinkle and her eyes shined with unshed tears.

"Yes, baby. You know we're fighters. We don't want you to get hurt, so we can't take you out there. We don't want something bad to happen to you, but have to go out and help people. Do you understand?"

Shin nodded and sniffed. "I know."

"And you like Jessie, right?" Kim asked and she got another nod. The redhead smiled. "So, you can hang out with Jessie for a few hours and then we'll be back. It'll be over before you know it."

Shin gave a slow nod, but the tearful look in her eyes let her mothers know that she was not happy with the plan. Unfortunately, it was not up to her. Her mothers hugged her as Jessie showed up in the garden.

"You got her from here?" Shego asked.

Jessie nodded. "I'll take care of her. I promise you that she'll be fine. We'll have fun and everything will be fine. You guys go defend our freedom from that madman and save as many lives as you can."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Kim said and then she kissed Shin's cheek.

"You won't even miss us, Peewee," Shego promised, ruffling Shin's hair. The crushed look in those emerald eyes told Shego that her words were meaningless to their daughter.

It might have been less than a second, but it felt like years for Shego before she and Kim charged off. Shego had to fight not to look back because she was certain that if she looked back, she would run back to Shin. She wondered if Kim felt the same, but glancing over at the redhead, she knew the answer to that. There were actual tears in olive eyes.

"Princess, don't cry. We'll be right back and Jessie's a good, responsible kid," Shego said.

"I feel so bad about leaving her. She was so heartbroken," Kim replied.

"Well, we had to do something. We can't take her with us out there on the battlefield and we have to fight. I can't send people out to fight and not go with them."

"I know."

"And we need you out there, Princess. We need your strength, courage, and determination. Not to mention, you're an inspiration to the warriors. We need you out there."

"I know. I still feel bad, though. I know she'll be fine, but I don't like seeing her sad."

"It'll happen every now and then, so you should start to get used to it. No one can be happy and carefree all of the time."

Kim nodded and they were silent. Mentally, they got prepared for battle. They had to be ready to take Junior down and be sure not to hint to any of the future plans.

-8-8-8-8-

The Bebes were annihilating everything on the refugee island. It was over-the-top, even for Junior. Anything that moved was destroyed. Smoke was everywhere, dirt flew like shrapnel, and the smell of burning flesh was enough to choke even the most hardened soldiers.

The units split on Shego's orders as always. Kim was out in the Toltec from the start since they were only facing Bebes. The Toltec had to make a path for Wade's unit and Amy's unit to rescue whatever refugees that they could. In that effort, Kim took apart whatever Bebes that she could.

"Remember Toltec, no new tricks," Kim said.

"Understood. We don't need new tricks for these guys," the Toltec replied with the confidence that the Paladin was definitely inheriting from its operator.

The ninjas held back any Bebes that tried to ambush the Toltec. They ended up with waves of robots crashing against the Shadow Hand shinobi. The ninjas held their ground and pushed back against the Bebes.

"What is wrong with Junior and the damned refugees?" Shadow Eyes huffed as she fought against circling Bebes.

"Weak link and he knows we'll always run out here to save these people and he can pick off a few of us," Ryujin grunted as he knocked away several robots.

"I feel like it's just his sadistic streak. He just wants to kill a bunch people that were lucky to get the hell out of New Rome."

Ryujin did not have a response for that, which Hana expected. If she wanted a conversation, she would have to make her way toward Shego. She did not move from where she was. She had a duty to those people and she would protect those refugees.

"Poison gas!" someone screamed.

The ninjas put their masks on while Shin, who was now referred to as the "non-cute one," went to work on getting rid of the gas. Trin showed up seconds later to help. Her unit was behind her, getting whatever the evil twins missed.

"We're getting efficient at this clean up, eh?" Shin commented.

"How about we say that after we get the whole mess cleaned?" Trin pointed out.

"Clean up corps are on it!"

"Don't call us that."

The twinkle in his eyes that let her know he was smiling. She ignored him and continued working. Shin did not take the hint, running his mouth through the whole process.

"Hey, get out of the way!" Amy called to the clean up team as her group of rhinophants charged through with refugees on their backs.

"Hey, we're cleaning here!" Shin replied with the best New York accent that he could muster as they got out of the way just in time to avoid being run over.

The battle raged on, even when the refugees were safe. The Bebes pushed on, trying to overwhelm Shego's forces. The western troops did not back down and pushed back just as hard.

-8-8-8-8-

Jessie tried her best to entertain Shin, but after a couple of hours of tasty treats, a trip to a couple of parks, and several walks though many gardens, Shin's somber mood continued. She just wanted to go home, so Jessie allowed the child to lead her to where "home" was. Her shock was almost tangible when they got to Shego's door. Shin had access and went inside as if it was no big deal.

"You coming in?" Shin asked because the teenager was just standing there.

Jessie blinked. "Oh, right!"

The teen entered and closed the door behind her. Jessie looked around, taking the whole place in. She was not surprised by the decadence, but the evidence of Shin all over the large space surprised her. Toys were on the floor in the living room, which was where they settled. There were several children's books littering the place, too.

"Do you like reading?" Jessie asked, looking over all of the books.

Shin nodded while going to the spot with her toys. "I'm getting better. My mom said so."

"Do your moms read to you?"

"Yup. My momma does the voices," Shin answered with a smile.

"Really? That's nice. I had two moms, too," Jessie said.

That got Shin's attention. "Yeah? Where are they?"

"One died before I was born," Jessie replied.

Emerald eyes went wide with shock and some fear. "Oh, no! I would be sad if my moms died. I only just got my moms. You didn't even get to have one of yours. That's not fair."

Jessie gave a sad smile. "No, it's not. How did you just get your moms?"

Shin's eyes went to the floor and she squinted, like she was trying to burn a hole in it with her gaze. Her brow furrowed and her hands glowed. It was clear that the subject upset the child. Jessie got up and tenderly touched Shin's back. The child jumped a bit and then relaxed into the soft, caring touch. The glow from her hands vanished.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have think about it or tell me about it," Jessie assured the child.

"Okay. It was really bad before my moms. They love me a lot and I love them. I didn't even know what love was before them, but I know now and I love them a lot. They give me warm hugs, and hot food, and they never yell at me. They never hit me. They never hurt me," Shin whispered and she shivered a bit.

"People hurt you?" Jessie asked, whispering as if she were afraid of the answer.

Shin nodded. "The emperor. My moms won't let him hurt me again."

Jessie gasped and let the subject drop. "Hey, how about you show me some of your toys and we play a game or something?"

Shin smiled and nodded, moving to start introducing her babysitter to her toys. Jessie played with the toys with Shin. It was a new experience and Jessie smiled through the whole affair. After that, she made some dinner for Shin, who insisted on helping, and they enjoyed a simple meal of hamburgers and fries. They then ended up on the couch, reading some of the books that were lying around.

Hours later, Kim and Shego entered the apartment to find Shin asleep on the couch, curled up a little with her head almost on Jessie's hip. Jessie was reading one of the books to herself. She looked up and smiled at the pair.

"I hope you don't mind me being in your home," Jessie said politely.

"Not at all. Thanks for watching her," Shego replied as Kim went to pick Shin up.

"It was my pleasure. I felt like I was doing my piece to help," Jessie stated with a proud smile. "I really enjoyed my time with her. She showed me some things that I never did. I do ask your forgiveness, though, because I tried having a conversation with Shin and accidentally brought bad memories for her."

"Bad memories? Like what?" Shego asked as Kim came over to her with Shin. The pale woman kissed the child's forehead and ruffled Shin's hair. Kim then went to the back to put Shin to bed. Shego's attention went back to Jessie. "So, what happened?"

Jessie took a deep breath because of the intense gaze. _This is definitely a momma bear_. "Nothing really. She said she didn't want to talk about it. She just said you and Kim loved her, she loves you, and you made sure she wouldn't get hurt anymore. She was really happy that you two came into her life."

Shego smiled. "That's good. So, she didn't get quiet and sad?"

"Just for a little while, but she was depressed all day since you and Kim left. She felt better after we came here. She talked my ear off of once we started playing with her toys and then topped that when we started reading together."

"That's her defense when she gets to big words. She stalls."

Jessie smiled and nodded. "I noticed that, too. Well, as I said, I enjoyed spending time with her. Please, think of me whenever you need a babysitter."

"We will. Thanks a bunch for this. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you with Ryu," Shego remarked with a teasing smile.

Jessie blushed and hurried out of the apartment just as Kim was coming back to join them. Jessie said her farewells without turning around and was gone before Kim or Shego could say anything in return.

Kim turned to Shego, who was still smirking. Olive eyes narrowed on her, which only made her smile more. Kim folded her arms across her chest.

"What did you say to Jessie?" Kim demanded.

"Nothing," Shego answered so innocently that it was shocking a halo did not appear over her head. "She says if we ever need a babysitter, she's the one. They got along after a couple of hiccups."

Kim smiled. "That's good. Now, Shin's in there waiting for her momma to tell her good night."

"What? She was just knocked out!" Shego gave Kim a suspicious look. "Somebody didn't happen to accidentally wake Peewee up while putting her to bed?"

"I didn't! She woke up on her own!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Shego said, smiling and walking off to go say goodnight to their daughter.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was back at work, but wishing she were with her girls, as she had come to think of Kim and Shin. They unofficially lived with her now. Kim still had her apartment, but she had not been back there since her first night at Shego's place. Thankfully, Bonnie seemed to be in full support of them and insisted on Kim staying with the western ruler. The redhead still slept in her room and Shego was in her own, but Shego noticed that everything was a baby step with Kim.

"Shego, you got a minute?" Wade asked as he appeared on a monitor before her.

"You know I don't, but I'll give you one anyway," she replied.

"If you still want to go ahead using the Paladins in the plan, you have to see the operators that the last two have picked."

"Even if we do get these two, would they be ready with their Paladins for the plan?"

"Probably not, but they'll be useful when Junior retaliates."

She nodded. "That's damn true. All right, what do we have here?"

Two pictures appeared next to Wade. "You see this?"

"What the fuck? Are they even still alive? We haven't seen Monique in over five fucking years! She got her damn leg blown off and fucking crawled off to die!" While it sounded harsh, she was pretty sure Monique had done exactly that. Monique had already been struggling with battle fatigue and forced herself to continue fighting, but losing her leg seemed to be it for her.

"These are who they want. The Paladins want people connected to Kim's life. So, they want Monique, who as far as we know is dead, and Tara, who was just on the cheer squad with Kim. I would assume she's probably dead, too."

Shego groaned. "This is bullshit. Why the hell are your Paladins such goddamn prima donnas?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I want to crush Junior, so I want these two suits online, so I want to find these two alive and willing to crush Junior. Tell Joss I need to see her," Shego ordered and the screen vanished. Sighing, she glanced behind her. "Loan me the loud mouth."

"To look for dead people? Why are you always looking for ghosts?" Shadow Hand inquired.

"Last dead person I looked for was alive. Last ghost I chased, I caught. So, I've got a good track record. Gimme Shadow Eyes for a while, a month. She can't do it in a month, we forget all about it," she proposed. Even though he had his mask on, she could tell he arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Don't make me pull rank," she warned him.

"You saying this is already pulling rank," he pointed out.

"Well, there ya go. We should be good to go for a month. Junior slapped us around in that battle, which should hold him for a while. Plus, we destroyed a lot of Bebes. It'll take some time to replace them."

"You're right about that," he agreed.

"Besides, instead of worrying about her, you should go see Kim. She's waiting for you."

"That doesn't bother you?"

She scoffed. "No! She doesn't want you sexually. She wants her friend, her brother. She understands that there's the war and all, but still, you started, so you might as well keep going."

He shrugged. "I did, didn't I?"

"Might as well keep going. Not like I need you hanging around me while I'm just glued to my chair in the Dark Room. Only thing threatening my life in here is boredom."

He chuckled and nodded. He started for the door just as Joss was entering. They did not say a word to each other.

"Joss, just the hunter I need," Shego proclaimed.

-8-8-8-8-

Shadow Hand found himself outside, looking for Kim. He could not believe that he was, though. He was still confused on how he felt about Kim. He did not really have a problem with Kim, but he had all of these emotions and he did not know what to do with them. He did not know how to sort himself out.

He did not have them sorted out when he spotted her a few minutes later, practicing in a garden. She was alone. _Where's Shin?_ He figured Shin would have helped things from getting too awkward.

"Hey, K. P," he greeted her and the initials fell from his lips before be could think about it. They were just automatic in the presence of the redhead and he was actually glad for that because it eased his nervousness.

"Hey!" Kim grinned.

"Where's the kid?" he asked curiously.

"With your kid. He hunted me down for a chance to hang with his little cousin. They're both very impressed with each other. So, they're having ice cream. If you wait a few minutes, they'll be back."

He shook his head. "I'm here for you. We can talk a bit. I know you want to reconnect and it'll be good for us. Everyone swears I need it and I'm finally ready to accept that they might be right. I can't keep directing anger at you, especially when I don't feel anger toward you. I … don't know what it is, though."

She offered him a small, forgiving smile. "It's okay. We don't have to talk about that. We could talk about the good old days. Or we could spar? You want to spar?"

"Now, that I can do. But, you need to know that I'm really strong now."

"That's fine. No one gets better fighting people weaker than they are," she pointed out.

He chuckled and nodded, but got into his fighting stance. They circled each other, tapping one another to feel the other out and gauged the reach. As things progressed, Ryujin returned with his cousin. They stopped dead in their tracks a couple of yards away when they saw their parents. Shin gasped and dropped her ice cream cone.

"Why is Uncle Ron fighting my mom?" Shin demanded and she was about to charge over, but Ryujin caught her before she moved.

"No, no, no. Shin, it's okay. They're just sparring. Be quiet and watch. You'll see that it's fine," he told her.

It did not surprise him that Shin did not listen and squirmed in his grip. He did not release her and she was forced to watch. Flashes of green sparked from her hands, which her mother noticed immediately. The adults purposely made the fight seem playful and Kim smiled for her daughter. Shin visibly calmed down.

"You see? It's okay," Ryujin said and Shin nodded. "Now, how about we go get you a new ice cream cone?" he suggested. She glanced down at her disregarded cone and nodded again. The cousins walked away.

"That was close. When they come back, I'll have to explain to Shin the difference between actual fighting and sparring," Kim said.

"Definitely since she almost burnt my only child asunder," Ron remarked.

"She's got a little temper on her," she admitted.

"Gee, I wonder why. She actually is Shego's child. How do you think that happened, anyway? Shego raged about Drakken stealing your DNA and her DNA, but how did he get your DNA? You were buried for twenty years," he pointed out.

"He might've been planning this for a long time. He could've been collecting stuff from me and Shego for all of the years we fought. I had to leave behind hair and blood in places we scrapped."

"Then he might have a ton of DNA. What if there are more Shins?"

"There is at least one more. The one that flies the jet that always goes after Shego."

"That's messed up that he's using your own offspring to fight you, but then again him just making kids of you and Shego isn't good either. The man has no conscience whatsoever," he said while shaking his head.

"Well, the man that he works for has no conscience."

Ron could not argue that. They sparred for a while longer before their kids returned. Shin charged the two adults, needing to tell them about how great her cousin was.

"Mom, Uncle Ron, Ryujin bought me two ice creams. I dropped the first one, but he got me another one. He explained to me what you guys were doing, too. He said that sparring is okay because it's practicing and practicing makes you better and if you're better then you won't get hurt when you go really fight the bad guys," Shin explained with a grin.

"He told you all that? You know he's right, too," Kim said, smiling at Ryujin.

"My cousin is really smart," Shin boasted.

"Yes, he is," Kim agreed.

"Can I spar?" Shin asked.

"_May I_ and you have to remember to say please," Kim gently chastised.

"Oh! May I please spar?" Shin requested.

"Yeah, you can." Kim then turned to the two ninjas. "Will you two stay?"

"Of course," Ryujin proclaimed with a grin. Shin grinned, too. Kim ruffled the little girl's hair and was quite pleased that the cousins were getting along so well.

"You raised a good kid, Ron," Kim whispered to Shadow Hand after stepping back over to him. He glanced at Ryujin with Shin and could not help nodding. Ryujin treated Shin just as he should instead of considering Shin some freak of science created by a madman.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego had put off the last bit of her plan for as long as could. She really did not want to talk to Betty Director, but she needed all of the help that she could get. So, it was time to bite the bullet.

"And get on the Bat phone," Shego joked as she called Doctor Director on their private line.

"What do you want?" the former GJ leader demanded.

"I got something I think you and yours would want to be a part of," Shego replied calmly.

"I'm listening."

"I'm tired of all of this war bullshit. I want to permanently cripple Junior's war machine by hitting your favorite target. I want to take out the Hive forever. You guys in?" Shego inquired.

Director scoffed. "You always point out that's a suicide mission. What makes it different now?"

"A lot of things. Weapons mostly. What do you say? I know you guys have all sorts of toys that would make this a real party," the western ruler remarked.

"You want to use us as human shields?"

"Fuck you, Director. I'm not trying to get anybody killed! That's unfortunately a symptom of war. You really want to give me shit over this? I'll do this without you. The Hive is going down. I just thought you wanted a piece of the action. I thought you cared about seriously stopping Junior."

"And I'm supposed to trust you?"

Shego frowned. "You know what? I stand by my 'fuck you' and add 'fuck your self-righteous attitude.' I haven't done a goddamn thing since taking this shitty gig to make your theory of my imaginary megalomania creditable. Now, if you want to be a coward or just an asshole, say so. I've got better things to do with my time."

Betty hesitated, but did not disconnect the communication. "You haven't said anything to sell me on this idea. How will you take on the Hive?"

"I need to tell you face to face. So, if you're in get your ass over here."

"You have to give me something. You know the twins will argue against this until their last breath."

Shego snorted. "Tell them we've got something that'll make what we did to Junior's citadel look like us swatting a paper airplane compared to this. Just show up and see. If you guys don't like it, you can leave. You know we're not going to hurt you since you guys get us the refugees safely."

"I'll talk to them. You'll have your answer if we show up within the next week. If you don't see us, proceed without us," Betty stated.

"Fine. A week is fine. I'll be surprised if it only takes a week for you to convince the twins."

Betty sighed and that ended the call. Shego nodded because that went way better than she assumed it would. In fact, it had not taken nearly as long as she assumed it would and Betty had a hint of eagerness in her voice.

"And now I get to go be with my family," Shego grinned as she rose from her seat.

-8-8-8-8-

"Mirage, Report," Junior ordered.

"There isn't much to report. They're doing the usual things."

He snorted through his nose. "Like what? Have you seen my wife there? Have you seen Drakken's clone? He is still whining over that, even though the little brat was worthless."

"I have not seen either, highness. It is the same here."

"Why do you never have anything worth reporting!" Junior screamed. "I swear I'm going to have you dismantled as soon as I can have you replaced, you worthless bitch! I know there is something going on over there and you're too fucking pathetic to figure out what! You're useless and I swear that as soon as I can I'm taking you apart with a sledgehammer!"

The communication was disconnected. A sob echoed through the dark room. Soon, another followed it while another call was made.

"Mirage?"

"Mom, I'm so sick of this! I don't want to do it anymore! Everybody here has been terrific to me while the Emperor has only verbally abused me and promised to kill me. I've met Shego several times and she's never awful to me! She trusts me and I can't keep betraying these people, who have only been kind to me! I have such good friends and they're so nice to me!"

"Baby, please, stop crying."

"I can't! He thinks I'm a thing and he wants to take me apart and I'm helping an evil man kill people and lying to good people, people I like! God, Mom, I have a boyfriend that I could help get killed by this psychopath and I like him so much!"

"Boyfriend? Baby, calm down, and tell me the problem?"

"I don't want to spy anymore, Mom! I'm so sorry, Mom, but I'm done with this! Can I just come home? Please." There was a pained whimper.

"Baby, you're not making any sense. You want to quit because you have a boyfriend?" the mother asked.

"No, Mom! You're not listening or purposely misunderstanding. We're the bad guys, Mom. I know what Shego took from you, but this isn't right. Ma wouldn't approve of this. Shego isn't the lesser of two evils. She isn't evil. Junior is evil, Mom! I refuse to help him anymore."

"Stay there then," was the harsh, snarled reply.

"Mom?" There was a whimper followed by a sob. "Mom, please don't do this! I'm not rejecting you! Just the Emperor, please!"

"Mirage …"

"Mom, please, I love you! You know I do, but I can't do this any more. I need you to understand. I love you so much, Mom. I want us to be together. I want us to be a family. I've seen family. It's so great."

"Where have you seen family?"

"Shego, Mom. She and Kim have a daughter. Drakken stole their DNA as far as I understand it and they somehow got the little girl he made. They accept her wholeheartedly, even though their enemy made her in a lab. They love her and spend time with her and don't let her fight in the war, even though she probably has Shego's powers. Mom, it's wonderful and I want that for us! I want to –" she was cut off.

"You're saying Shego's a better mother than I am?"

"No, Mom! Why do you want to fight about this? I love you. I just want us to be together and be happy!"

"Killing Shego would make me happy!"

"No, it won't, Mom. No, it won't. You'll never be happy until you let go all of the hatred in your heart," the statement was made with sincere conviction. The communication disconnected and a mighty sob shook the room.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the outcome of that conversation and what the Rebels decide – if they will go with Shego's forces or not. And, a taste of kigo romance.


	47. 4:10: Mothers, brothers, and others

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

4.10: Mothers, brothers, and others

Shego grinned as Shin came at her with another plasma attack. They were in a garden and Shin was sparring with Shego. Kim was sitting off to the side to observe. The redhead planned to offer her critique of the match when Shin was done. Shego talked Shin through her moves as they sparred.

"Keep your guard up or I'm gonna tap you," Shego warned the child and then she popped Shin in the shoulder. "Like that," she added since she saw an opening while Shin hissed from the sting.

"That hurt," Shin complained for the sake of complaining.

"Oh, really? What about this one?" Shego popped her again the same spot with same pained hiss in response. "That one hurt, too?" she teased.

"Momma!" the child huffed.

"Keep that guard up then! If our enemies make it past me and your mom, you have to seriously be able to defend yourself. The enemy isn't going to stop when you say that hurts. They're gonna keep on coming," Shego pointed out before giving the girl another solid hit.

"Ow! Mom!" Shin called. Kim could only wonder if it was instinctive to cry out for your mom when your other parent was getting on your nerves because Shin had never witnessed such a thing, but there she was doing it.

"Shin, your Momma is a hundred percent right. You wanted to start sparring and you don't want anyone to pull punches then you have to grit your teeth and bear it. You should also be ready in case enemies do make it here and we're not here to protect you. People will come after you for just being our daughter, so you have to be able to fend people off," Kim warned the pale child.

"Unless you want people to take you away from us," Shego said. The comment almost got her scolded, but just as Kim was going to say something, Shin raised her guard to the proper level and went at her momma with renewed vigor.

The pale duo fought for a few minutes before Shin found herself distracted, as most children did. She spotted Jessie several yards away and dropped everything to wave at the teen. When that failed to get Jessie's attention, the child resorted to screaming Jessie's name.

"Jessie, come watch me spar with my momma! Jessie!" Shin called as loud as could and, considering her genetics, she was rather loud. "Jessie!"

Shin trotted over to the teen, who had her head down. Shego and Kim watched their daughter to make sure she did not cause any trouble. Jessie looked like she had been crying, her eyes red and her face flushed.

"Jessie! Jessie!" Shin said excitedly and then her pace slowed. Her face adopted her signature confused look. "Jessie? You okay?" the little girl asked in a low, worried tone.

Jessie blinked as if she just noticed the child. "Oh, hey, Shin," she muttered.

"Hi, Jessie. Are you okay? You look like you've been crying," Shin noted. "Mom, Momma, you have to help me help Jessie! Jessie's sad and we gotta make her feel better!" she reported.

"Let's go over there before Shin tells the whole world poor Jessie's business," Kim suggested.

Shego nodded and helped Kim to her feet. The redhead noted and enjoyed the warm energy and aura passing between her and Shego. _No use fighting it now that I've just reveled in it_. So, she smiled at Shego.

"Thank you," Kim said softly.

"Anytime, Princess," Shego replied with a smile of her own.

The two made their way over to their daughter and what Shin seemed to think was a crisis of utmost importance. As they drew closer, they saw why Shin was concerned. Jessie was usually well put together, especially when she had work, which she should have that morning. For the moment, she looked like her bed had chewed her up and spit her out and then told her that it was the end of the world.

"Jessie, you do look like hell," Shego commented, earning a light hit on the arm. "Ow!" Emerald eyes glared at Kim. "What? She does."

"Jessie, ignore Shego. Now, do you want to talk about why you look so upset? Do you need to sit down?" Kim asked while motioning to the nearby bench.

Jessie whimpered and started shaking. Shin yelped and hopped back in surprise while Kim gently took hold of the teen. Kim and Shego led Jessie to the bench and sat down with Jessie in the middle. Shin stood behind the bench, out of the way, so her mothers could fix her friend. The redhead held onto Jessie's hand and massaged her knuckles.

"Now, what happened, Jessie?" Kim inquired in soft voice.

Jessie whimpered again and tears slid down her face. "My mom … my mom … I was thinking about my mom …"

"All right," Kim said as a tender nudge.

"We had an argument and I think … I think Mom disowned me! And I don't understand why! How can Mom love me and then let me go because our opinions are different? Why would she do that?" Jessie begged as tears poured down her face.

"I'm sure your mom didn't mean it," Kim said gently and she rubbed the girl's shoulder with her free hand.

"She did! She hates me now and I don't know what to do! If my mom doesn't love me, then nobody can!"

"Jessie, you know that's not true. Shin adores you and we like you. And don't get me stated on Ryujin! You know he's crazy about you," Kim pointed out with an encouraging smile.

Shego chimed in to help out. "Ryujin is beyond crazy about you. He's head over heels for you. Jessie, I know there's no substitute for a mother, but you're not alone in the world. You've watched my kid, been in my home, and I'm pretty sure you're dating my nephew even if you two don't want to say anything. You've got us, Jessie. You've got us."

Jessie shook her head and sobbed harder. "Until I piss you off."

"Family doesn't work that way, Jess, which is why you shouldn't write your mom off. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, people say things they don't mean. So, keep your head up," the redhead said.

Jessie sniffled and wiped her face. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Kim answered.

"Trust me on this, Jessie, I pissed my mom off a lot and she did the same to me. I used to scream a lot of stuff that I didn't mean," Shego lied. Kim glanced at her, but did not say anything about the little fib.

"Yeah?" Jessie sniffled.

"Yeah," Shego stated with a nod. _Okay, maybe I did mean everything I said to my mother, but that's not gonna help Jessie_.

"That's good." Jessie sniffled again and rubbed her eyes. She then glanced at the pair. "Thank you both."

Shego waved it off. "It's no problem."

"Yeah, totally no big," Kim assured her.

Jessie nodded slowly. "I should go. I'm supposed to be at work."

"No, don't go to work. Go home, fix yourself up, and relax. As soon as you walk away, I'm calling the official you work for and telling him you won't be in," Shego stated.

Jessie blinked, but nodded. She climbed to her feet, thanked them again, and was on her way. While she was no longer crying, she still left with her head down and her shoulders dropped. Shego did exactly what she claimed as soon as Jessie was gone, letting the teen's office know that she would not be in. She then made another call.

"Who are you calling now?" Kim asked with a craned eyebrow.

"Ryu. Jessie's his responsibility. If he's really serious about being a man, _her_ man then he needs to get her through this," Shego explained.

Kim nodded and sent Shin off to practice several moves while Shego made her call. Once the call was done and the child was preoccupied, the two adults turned their attention to each other. They were silent briefly to gather their thoughts.

"Was it just me or was Jessie speaking in the present tense?" Kim asked.

"She was," Shego confirmed.

"Now, I know I'm relatively new around here, but I've hung around Jessie enough to know she's supposed to be the last surviving member of her family," Kim said.

"One of the last surviving members of an entire village." Shego seemed nonplussed about the whole situation.

The redhead arched an eyebrow again. "You don't have a problem with the obvious falsehoods?"

Shego shook her head. "There's more here than what we know so far. I've had my eye on her for a while. There's something peculiar about that girl and I'm not sure if it's a bad thing."

"You have?"

"Yeah, she showed up and got comfortable in the Manor really quickly. She got comfortable in the Emerald City just as quickly. She seemed too comfortable, which isn't something that happens to people with her made-up circumstances. But, like I said, there's something about her and I find myself more inclined to trust her now."

"Instincts?"

"There's that, but I also know now that she cares about Shin. I've known for a while that she cares about Ryu and won't do anything to endanger his life. She's got that goofy young love expression that he gets when they see each other. I'm glad for him, even though he's as awkward at this love thing as his parents were. Of course, she's just as weird as he is."

A teasing smile lit up Kim's face. "Oh, and you're an expert?"

Shego snorted. "All things considered, I think I'm doing pretty good," she boasted.

The hero had no response for that. She just was not sure what to say. Her body reacted, though. She took Shego's hand in hers while turning to check in their daughter. Shego squeezed her hand and that told Kim that that was enough.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was having a sort of "bring your daughter to work day" because Kim was practicing with the Toltec and the other Paladins. Shin's favorite babysitter had work, too, and Jessie seemed to need to work, be with Ryujin, or watch Shin to keep from falling apart; she had already done that last one more than enough for the past week. Shego wanted to spend time with her daughter, anyway. Shin was all too happy to spend the day with her mother, too.

"Momma, what does this do?" Shin asked, messing with a console nearby.

"Touch it and find out," Shego replied without glancing up from her work, showing some parenting traits that she had picked up from her parents. She was sure that would drive Kim nuts later on when she saw.

Shin did just that and did it harder when nothing happened. Shego almost laughed when Shin started to lean on the console with her elbows, trying to get something to happen. _This kid is definitely a Go. Mommy and Daddy would've loved her_. For a moment, she felt a twinge of sorrow, knowing how much her mother wanted to be a grandmother and would have more than likely hit it off with Shin right from the start. Her father would have done the same.

Shego was drawn from her thoughts as a messenger came in, informing her that they had visitors. Apparently, Doctor Director and the Rebels showed up. Shego had both expected that and not expected it.

"Get the rest of the Elect and have the Rebels brought to the big conference room," Shego ordered and he ran off to do that. "Hey, Peewee, stop pressing buttons before you blow us all up. Come on, we're gonna go to a meeting with all your favorite people," she informed the child.

Shin turned to her mother and glanced back at the console before joining Shego. The pair left the room and marched to the conference room, where there were plenty of things for Shin to touch until people started entering the room. She went to stand with Shego as people that she did not know filed into the room.

"I don't know these people," Shin bluntly stated.

"I know. Your favorite people should be coming in soon," Shego assured the girl, wrapping her arm around her daughter to help ease her anxiety.

As the Rebels came in, none of them sat down. They all stood off to the left of the room. Betty Director stood in front of the group with the twins right behind her. Shego was tempted to introduce Shin to the twins, especially since they were staring at the child, but she knew that needed to be done with Kim.

"Well, Shego?" Betty demanded.

"Hold your horses, Director. I've got people in this, too," Shego replied.

"Stop fucking jerking us around," Jim snarled.

"Whoa! Can you not drop f-bombs around young ears?" Shego said, putting her hands over Shin's ears. Usually, she would not care as she had probably been the most foul mouth child on Earth, but her mother had not been Kim Possible.

"Momma, you forgot to say please and thank you. Mom said you always have to say that if you want something," Shin pointed out. Her words got wide-eyed looks from the twins because of the phrase.

Before Shego could respond to that, much of her close group arrived; Kim, Wade, Tatsu, and Bonnie seemed to be along for the ride. Kim's eyes lit up when she saw the twins and wasted no time greeting them with hugs.

"It's so good to see you two again!" Kim beamed.

"It's good to see you, too," Tim replied.

"Kim, what's up with that?" Jim inquired, nodding toward Shin.

"Don't call her 'that.' Shin is my daughter and we'll explain her in private," Kim answered.

Jim was set to argue, but Tim elbowed to keep him from saying anything. Jim grunted, but kept his mouth closed. Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Amy entered the room followed by Shadow Hand and Ryujin.

"Are we all here now?" Director huffed.

"Close enough," Shego said with a shrug.

"So, what's so big and top secret that we have to meet here instead of just tell us over a communication?" Betty demanded.

Shego stepped forward and smiled. "Because I want to hit the Hive and I didn't want to chance Junior hearing about it over a communication. I'm ready to take this crap out and we have the means now." She put her hands over Shin's ears. "It's time to fucking smack Junior."

"Shego!" Kim scolded.

"What? I'm covering her ears!" Shego pointed out.

"Watch your mouth around her. She'll pick that up," Kim said.

Shego snorted, but did not retort. "Anyway, it's time to bring the fight to Junior."

"What do you have? Whenever we have this plan you always call it a suicide mission. What, we're your shields? To hell with that!" Jim roared.

"Did I say you were my shields? I don't need shields, or bodies, or decoys. I need people ready and willing to fight. You see this?" Shego pointed at her daughter right out of Shin's view. "I refuse to let her inherit this mess. She deserves better. We deserve better! We need to live our lives! Junior shouldn't be the only one riding high. It's time for us to really do something!"

"Like what?" Tim inquired.

"Glad you asked," Shego said with a smile before pointing toward Wade.

"Power point time," Wade commented as he stepped over to the wall. He hit a switch on the wall and a monitor appeared before them. The Hive showed up on screen.

"Now, we all know this is the muscle of Junior's vast, sh—" Shego caught herself as olive eyes glared at her. "Vast, crappy empire," she continued while Kim took charge of Shin. Shego followed the pair with her eyes as they went out of the room.

"Shego, skip to the good part," Betty said.

The ruler snorted. "Shut up! I had this all worked out for when you guys showed up!"

"We don't have time for this. No one wants to stand here for longer than necessary," Tim pointed out.

"Geez, you know Wade went all tech-geek for this power point," Shego sighed and glanced at Wade. He nodded.

"Okay, why we can take the Hive. The first thing is our Paladins. Have you guys had the chance to see or at least hear about our Paladins?" Wade asked while skipping his slides to the Toltec.

"You make mecha now?" Jim asked with a craned eyebrow.

"Kick ass mecha," Wade replied and then showed video of the Toltec in action. "How awesome is this?"

"One mech suit doesn't suddenly win us a war," Jim argued.

"Especially when Junior's seen it in battle a million and one times," Tim backed his brother.

"The Toltec's been updated thanks to tech that we took from Junior himself and we'll have three suits to make this venture worthwhile." Wade flipped through the slides of the Qin and the Comanche.

"Are you going to tell us what they do or just jerk us around with pictures that show you watch way too much anime?" Jim huffed.

"If you've seen the Toltec in action, you get the general idea. Only two people know how all of the suits work and that's how it'll stay. Shego doesn't even know how they work," Wade replied.

"Okay, so what's the next reason for us attacking Junior and the Hive?" Betty asked curiously.

"That's a group effort. I'm sure you're all familiar with the fact we successfully knocked Junior's citadel out of the air. Well, we now have an arsenal of those missiles and an assortment of others," Wade announced as Kim slipped back into the room.

"Why not just hit the Citadel again?" Tim asked.

"These missiles are all short range. They'd never go far enough to hit the Citadel. We sacrificed power for numbers. We have way more, but they don't go nearly as far," Trin explained.

"So, you're serious about going into Neo Roma to launch these things," Tim stated.

"Dead serious," Trin assured him.

"Is there anything else that makes this less crazy?" Betty inquired.

"Why is it crazy when we do it, but brilliant when you do it?" Shego countered.

"I've got the same question," the Rebel leader retorted.

"Anyway, last, but not least we have tons of new animals all literally armed to the teeth to fight Bebes. They like living tanks. We're ready for this," Wade stated, glancing at Amy and giving her a warm smile. She smiled back.

The Rebels were silent momentarily. "Tell us more," Betty said and she took a seat at the conference table. Jim and Tim did the same, as did several other Rebels.

Shego smiled and shot her team a wink. _It's time to end this, Junior. My kid won't waste her life fighting your bullshit and neither will my nephew. Fuck you, Junior. Fuck you_.

-8-8-8-8-

The conference room was a clear, except for Kim, Shego, and the Possible twins. Three out of those four were frowning and Kim was tempted to do the same just from the tension. She just hoped no one jumped over the table.

"So, you're Shego's fuck-buddy?" Jim huffed, turning his nose up as if his sister were some loathsome, foul-smelling creature.

"Hey!" Shego snarled, hitting the table to get his attention. "You got a fucking problem with me, you keep that shit at me! Respect your sister!" she ordered.

"You don't tell me what to do!" Jim shot back.

Tim put a hand on his twin's shoulder to get him to cool down. Jim turned to glare at his brother, who glared right back. Jim chickened first and settled back in his chair. Tim looked back at Kim and Shego.

"Now, how did you two end up with a daughter that looks like you?" Tim asked calmly.

"Drakken," both women simply replied with identical shrugs.

"Of course," the twins said simultaneously.

"Yeah, good old Drakken and his lack of a conscience," Shego muttered, shaking her head.

"So, what happened?" Tim inquired.

"As far as we can guess, Drakken's probably been collecting our DNA for a long while. Obviously, he had to be gathering it back when I was fighting against him on the regular basis since he hasn't been near me since I woke up. He combined our DNA and made Shin, that's her name," Kim informed them with a small smile.

"Shin? You named her after that nut?" Jim threw his hands up in disbelief.

"No!" Shego objected. "Shin picked her own name before she knew that insane ass went by the same name. But, now we get to call him the non-cute Shin and he hates that shit," she told them with a chuckle.

"How did you end up with her, though? If Drakken made her, shouldn't he have her?" Tim reasoned.

Kim went into the long story of how they ended up with Shin. Shego chimed in when appropriate with a proud smile on her face. At some point in the tale, Kim took Shego's hand and squeezed every now and then, mostly when she spoke about Shin's injuries and how the head trauma still bothered her sometimes in the form of headaches and nightmares.

"So, you're raising her together?" Tim asked curiously after the story finished.

"Kim, you're fucking Shego? Shego of all fucking people," Jim groaned.

Kim's face scrunched up. "What? Where did he get that?" she asked anybody who would answer, but she did not wait for a response. "Even if I were doing that, it's none of your business. Jim, if you're going to be this hostile, I don't think I want you to meet Shin."

Jim snorted. "Maybe I don't want to meet the little freak."

Kim's spine went rod-straight and her face took on a stone-like quality. She shot to her feet and started to leave. Shego was right behind her.

"First, you pick Shego over us and now you pick some test tube _thing_ over us?" Jim grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

Kim was now trembling and she did not turn around. "I didn't pick anybody over you. I believe in Shego and her cause. I want to defend this country and I want _my daughter_ to grow up somewhere safe. I want other parents to have that option. I want my daughter to have two parents that love her and she has that in me and Shego. If you can't accept that, accept my daughter, accept our family, you're the one picking stuff over me. You want the bitterness and hatred. Get over yourself."

Kim was then out the door with Shego behind her. They could hear Tim screaming at Jim before the door even closed. Tears fell down Kim's cheek and Shego gave her a one arm embrace while leading the redhead away.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim did not have time to grieve Jim's treatment of her and her family. The Rebels agreed to the assault on the Hive and Shadow Eyes and Joss returned from their missions. They were successful. Shego was more than surprised that Monique was not dead; she was missing a leg as they thought, though.

"Mo!" Kim grinned as she charged her old friend. She was careful not to knock Monique over.

"Kim? You're alive and you remember me?" Monique asked incredulously. While she was missing a leg, she had a metal prostatic.

"Of course, I remember you! You were my best-gal pal! I'd know you and remember you no matter what! As for me bring alive, rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," the hero remarked with a happy smile.

Monique laughed. "Cute. Did your crazy sister or nutty Wade figure out how to bring you back from the dead?"

"Nope. Totally wasn't dead, but I was buried under the Earth for twenty some odd years," Kim said.

Monique shook her head. "Drakken." It was funny how his name seemed to sum up and make sense of the strangest circumstances.

Kim nodded and then she turned her attention to the other person with Monique. She was a blond with a familiar aura and warm blue eyes. There were some lines on her face, but realization hit Kim almost immediately.

"Tara! Oh my, god! Tara!" Kim wasted no time pulling her in a hug.

"You are good," Tara said with a smile.

"I can't forget my friends. I'm so happy to see you both. You're here to help?" Kim asked with a hopeful smile.

"Damn straight we are! Can't let Junior win if we can actually do something about it!" Monique declared. She was obviously over her battle fatigue and ready to get involved again.

"What she said," Tara remarked, pointing to the one-legged woman.

"So, have you guys been briefed on what they want you to do?" Kim asked and they nodded.

"They said you'd show us where to go see what we'll be helping with," Monique said.

Kim nodded and took them down the Basement. Wade and Tatsu were there, working on the Paladins as always. They had to introduce themselves to Tara, but they knew Monique. Monique had worked with them closely until she lost her leg. Kim promised herself that she would get that story once she was reacquainted herself with her old friend.

"We need to get you two suited up ASAP. We need you familiar and comfortable with the suits. We've not asking you to be ready tomorrow, but soon because we're going to blow this whole war open," Wade explained.

"Bring it on," Tara said with surprising confidence.

"Okay. Joss and Bonnie are already in the Hanger practicing. Kim, you're sticking around?" Wade asked.

Kim nodded. "Totally."

"Should I be worried about doing this with one leg?" Monique asked.

"Yeah, Tatsu and I took care of that after you confirmed. Everything is ready for you guys. You were told about Bonnie?" Wade asked to be sure.

"We know," Tara said and her voice was low that it was clear she knew a lot in regards to Bonnie. Her eyes got sorrowful and she was obviously concerned about her former friend.

Wade decided to just get them suited up as quickly as possible. The two newbies were shocked by the Paladins, but got over it with the promise of taking down Junior. By the end of the practice, Wade knew Tara and Monique would not be ready to help with the hit on the Hive, but they were already valuable assets to the war effort.

-8-8-8-8-

"I can't believe how hard it is to get that kid down now," Shego sighed as she and Kim flopped down onto her sofa.

Kim shook her head as she settled in close to Shego. "I think she's just worried. There's a lot going on. Jessie still isn't a hundred percent and with all of the new people around you know Shin's figured out something big is going on. She knows we're going to be doing something dangerous. She doesn't want her moms hurt. Worse, she doesn't want to lose her moms."

Shego nodded. "I don't want to lose her mom either," she admitted in a low voice.

Kim locked eyes with Shego and moved in even closer to the pale woman. She took Shego's hand and softly massaged the pale knuckles with her thumb. She had long stopped ignoring her emotions and feelings in regards for Shego. It was just hard to admit what that meant, but they were about to go do something incredibly risky. They could quite possibly die and Kim was not interested in leaving things unsaid.

"Shego, the time I've spent with you and Shin has been the most fulfilling since I got here. I never thought of having a family like this, but I love it. I love Shin … and I really care about you," Kim said in a whisper.

"As a friend? A co-parent?" Shego guessed.

Kim shook her head. "As a possible partner. I can actually see myself spending my life with you."

Shego blinked. "Yeah?" she practically croaked that out.

"Yes, and I don't want you to go another minute wondering what the hell I'm doing here. I'm with you because I like you. I'm not just with you because we have a child or because I'm keeping an eye on you. I have complicated feelings for you."

A smile graced Shego's features. "That makes two of us."

"Then let me do something to make us both happy." Kim leaned over and to Shego's merry surprise the redhead kissed her. Kim was sure that a jolt ran through them before filling her with a warm feeling that made her want to melt into the couch.

Shego smiled as Kim pulled away for air. "That damn sure did make me happy. So happy I'd like to try it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke," the pale woman remarked.

"Well, they do say that practice makes perfect," Kim said with a smile of her own.

Shego wasted no time leaning in for a fresh kiss. Kim moaned at the contact and Shego did the same. It felt like the embrace was a long time coming, but was well worth it.

"I'm definitely staying alive for more of this," Shego muttered in daze.

"Makes two of us. Now, shut up and kiss me again," Kim ordered.

"No problem. If those are going to be orders, you have to give more of them," Shego remarked before complying with the command. Kim kissed back and they lost themselves in each other. Hopefully, they had a full and happy lifetime to fill with more kisses.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the attack on the Hive.


	48. 4:11: Turn around

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. I also don't own the songs Flight of the Valkyries, Twenty-four Hours to live, or Smack my Bitch up.

4.11: Turn around

"It's times like this that I wish we had theme music," Shego remarked with her trademark smirk as she surveyed the wasteland that they were standing on. Her army was moments away from an all out assault on the Hive. They had taken the Rebel tunnels to get into Neo Roma undetected and everyone was now in position. The ease of it all was almost frightening.

"I hear Flight of the Valkyries in my head," Shadow Hand admitted.

Shego snorted. "Too easy."

"Twenty-four Hours to Live?"

"Nah. The Bebes don't have that long. Ah, fuck it. We don't need no stinking theme music," Shego declared, rubbing her hands together.

Shadow Hand gave her a sidelong glance. "You're into this, huh?"

"You're not? We're about to do something major. Junior will probably piss himself when he figures out what's going on. I know what song would work," Shego realized.

"What?"

"Smack my bitch up," she remarked with a grin.

Shadow Hand chuckled and nodded. Shego could imagine going to battle to "Smack My Bitch Up." It played in her head as she gave the signal for the assault.

"Fire the laser!" Shego shouted, earning what she was a dirty look from Shadow Hand.

"Reliving your college years?" the bodyguard inquired.

"Shut up," Shego snorted.

"Shego, what the hell was that? Should we launch the missiles or let you keep geeking out?" Trin inquired over her Kimmunicator.

"Don't talk to me about being a geek. Fire the missiles, so we can go," Shego ordered.

"I already hit the red button!" Shin (the non-cute one) declared with a maniacal laugh.

"There are reasons we don't find you cute," Trin pointed out dryly.

The communications ended as Shego waved the troops forward. They charged out of the mountains just in time to see their missiles blaring toward the Hive. Bebes charged out of the Hive to intercept them before the missiles even hit.

"Think they expected company?" Shin wondered aloud.

"No, because most of our missiles are going to hit," Wade boasted.

"Just make sure we hit, too," Shego said.

The air smelled of war before the fighting even started. Shego believed if hatred had a scent, it would be the stench of Neo Roma. If Hell had a sky, it had to be the sullen, ashy grey of the one above her. And if she were to die that day, she would go out in a blaze of glory, give her all, and leave nothing behind for Junior to have as a trophy.

"Let's make history today, people!" Shego called as the missiles smashed against the Hive.

Some Bebes took to the air to prevent the projectiles from doing damage to the base, but even their sacrifice would be in vain. Several of the missiles were designed to send out a short-range pulse, shutting down electronics and causing the Bebes to fall out of the sky. It was a risk; Shego's side would be without communication for a few precious minutes. It was critical for everyone to be in their proper places.

Shego waved her people forward as the missiles did their damage. Shego's forces and the Rebels pushed through piles of Bebes as their systems shut down. Not all of the robots went down, but enough fell from the pulse that the humans were not grossly out numbered.

"Keep going forward!" Shego screamed as she literally tore through any Bebe in her way with blazing green hands.

Shego's soldiers moved behind her, keeping in step with her and Shadow Hand. The pale ruler glanced to the side, checking on her troops and then on the Rebels. While there were people falling, they were pushing toward the Hive. A second flurry of missiles got them to the door … well, the hole blown into the building. The amount of Bebes in the Hive made the amount outside look like a children's party as light shined into the usually pitch black factory.

"Stay close," Shadow Hand said to Shego.

She scoffed. "Stay together!"

Shego knew it was unlikely for everyone to stay together, but she hoped for the best. The Bebes came at them from all sides, including above and below them. They had to hold it together for a few minutes before the cavalry showed up.

"Shadow Hand, step it up," Shego ordered her bodyguard as she flared her hands more than usual. Whenever she kicked, her feet were also charged with plasma. She went through Bebes with the usual ease.

"We could just blow the whole place," he suggested, as a joke she hoped, but it was hard to tell with him.

"Well, my good friend, I would like our troops to live through this, too," she pointed out dryly.

"I suppose you're right there," he said as if it were a burden.

Shego had to laugh, even though they were in the middle of a battle. She continued on with tearing through Bebes. They seemed unlimited and she feared their side would drop from exhaustion before they made a dent in the Bebes numbers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she felt Shadow Hand's aura grow. Her green glow was then joined by a sky blue glow. Shego was pretty sure that he was faster than she was when he tapped into his true Monkey powers. Bebes dropped around them, but beyond them, their own people fell.

"We're going to get fucked once the pulse disruption wears off and all of the Bebes can move," Shadow Hand realized while putting his arm through two Bebes and kicking the head off of another.

"You make it sound like we brought a knife to a gun fight," Shego remarked as she cut through a row of charging robots.

"Didn't we?"

"Being the optimist betwixt us, I like to think we brought a fucking cannon to a gun fight. Just takes a little longer to pull out than a gun."

"Then let's hope we don't end up shot waiting for the draw," he replied.

Shego was with him on that, especially as more Bebes showed up. Some of them were coming in from outside, which led her to believe the pulse affects were wearing off. They were about to be overwhelmed, especially if their "cannon" misfired.

"Princess, can you hear me?" Shego said into her wrist Kimmunicator.

"Loud and clear. We're on our way," Kim replied.

-8-8-8-8-

"Would it be inappropriate to yell out 'here I come to save the day'?" Joss asked with a laugh, showing how comfortable she was in her Paladin. They had considered bringing Monique and Tara, but the pair was not ready for something so big. They were not even sure if Bonnie was ready for the battle.

"Would anyone even get that?" Kim wondered aloud.

"No," the Toltec chimed in.

"Why do you even get that? Wasn't that before our time?" Bonnie asked.

"Way before our time," the Qin concurred.

"Shouldn't we be focused on this?" Kim asked.

"We are. This is focused. If you practiced with us more, you'd know that," Bonnie replied.

"She's right, cousin. We're typically on our p's and q's when you're around, but practice by ourselves is a lot lighter. Now, let's go kick some Bebe ass!" Joss proclaimed with a chuckle.

"Hell, yeah!" the Comanche agreed with its pilot. They all thought it was funny that the Comanche spoke with the same accent as Joss.

"Everybody just stay loose, don't panic, and do this exactly like we trained for," Kim said. She just hoped the simulations were close to the real deal. "Now, stick to the plan and let's go save the world!" The Toltec took to the air followed by the other four Paladins.

"Oh my god," Bonnie gasped as they came to the battlefield. There was death and destruction as far as she could see. She gagged a bit, as if she were going to throw up.

"Keep it together, Bonnie," Kim encouraged her as they descended into the carnage. She drew the Toltec's gun and proceeded to fire at any Bebes in her path. The others followed her example.

"I just didn't expect it to look like this. I mean, how do you prepare for this type of carnage and mayhem?" Bonnie asked.

"You don't. Just stay together as best you can," Joss encouraged her.

"Kim, when do we fire the rockets?" Bonnie asked, confidence in her voice despite the question. She fought off Bebes charging at their left side, taking them down with the Qin's gun.

"Hold. Wait for the signal," Kim ordered while taking down any enemy in their path.

"I'm running out of ammo," Bonnie called.

"Stay calm! Put the guns away as soon as you're out of ammo and use your secondary weapons! Keep moving! We're the ones that have to push through the rest of the Hive! This is on us!" Kim reminded them.

"We got it!" Joss declared while pushing forward as they flew into the Hive. She finished off both of her guns and quickly replaced them in the thigh holsters. With her hands free, she drew the Comanche's secondary weapon – double combat knives with laser blades.

"Keep it up!" Kim cheered the group on. She shot down rows of Bebes until her guns were also empty.

"This is better than sims in the Hanger," the Comanche remarked and it sounded like the suit hooted.

"Being useful is better than sims in the Hanger," the Qin pointed out. "Bonnie, we've got Bebes coming from up top and we're almost out of ammo."

"I know," Bonnie replied, holstering the empty guns. She pulled two hook swords with heated blades and sliced through the Bebes just as they rained down on the Paladins.

"Guys, we're coming up to the wall! Get ready to fire your first round of missiles," Kim ordered as they made it ahead of the foot soldiers.

All of the Paladins shoulders and biceps slid open, revealing rows of missiles. They all let the missiles go at about the same time, blowing a hole through one of the Hive's extremely thick walls. More Bebes rushed out, greeting the advancing Paladins.

"Shego, the wall's open. Tell everybody to move in behind us,'' Kim reported into her Kimmunicator.

"We're right behind you, Princess. Don't forget about the split and be careful," Shego replied. The sound of shredded metal and agonized screams accompanied her voice.

"We're on it," Kim said while slicing through enemies of her own. "Ladies, we're about to do that thing you should never do in horror movies. Stay with your group and keep the path clear for everybody else. As soon as we break, go into Warrior mode and do as much damage as you can."

"We know the plan, cousin," Joss stated as she practically danced through the Bebes, cutting through any and all that came near her.

"We got this," the Comanche backed up its operator.

"Then don't get killed, hotshot," Kim replied. "Here it comes."

The group broke apart, leading three separate groups to different targets. The Hive was a huge maze and would only get worse as they got deeper into it. They had many targets to get to and they needed to get them as soon as possible. They all knew that if Junior got to them trapped in the Hive then they were all going to be slaughtered.

-8-8-8-8-

Vivian watched the onslaught on her home and base from her usual secluded area. The room was as dark as always, untouched by the barrage of missiles. She had all of her defenses on to challenge the invasion, but she wanted to find Shego in the melee. She would personally destroy the green bitch.

"First, you kill my beloved and then you have the gall to take my child from me!" Vivian snarled. "I'll kill you and show Mirage that your death will make me happy! There's nothing good or redeeming about you! You've stolen my whole family from me!"

For Vivian, Shego had quickly transformed into the source of all misery in mankind. Emotions that she did not even know that she had erupted at the very thought of Shego and it caused her fits. Once that was eliminated, she was certain that she would be able to get her daughter back because she would be able to show Mirage that she was happy.

"There you are, you manipulative bitch. You think you can brainwash my greatest creation? My most precious child? Well, you won't even get to know your child," Vivian hissed as she saw images of Shego from the Bebes fighting the western ruler. She armed the Hive's other defenses and trained them all on Shego. "I hope you die in terrible agony. Just so you know a fraction of the pain that I've felt every waking moment."

-8-8-8-8-

"Shego!" Shadow Hand called as he moved to put his body in between their leader and the threat to her existence. He fanned his hands out, his blue aura forming a shield and catching dozens of bullets, missiles, and lasers. The force blew the master ninja back.

"Thanks for that, but I got my own problems here!" Shego growled as she ignited her whole body to protect against the projectiles barreling into her. The volley forced her back and also to her knees.

"Vivian must want you dead real badly," Shadow Hand commented as he beat back dozens of Bebes.

"You want me dead, Vivian?" Shego asked. "Come and do it yourself, you fucking coward!" she hollered and the area around her exploded. She rose her feet, flinging debris around. Her body was covered in flaring plasma like a green, living star.

"Thank you for tempting Fate because it's been so kind to us in the past," Shadow Eyes remarked through the Kimmunicator.

"Keep your focus and make sure that you reach your goal," Shadow Hand ordered the talkative ninja. He was also covered in his light blue aura, wondering what Vivian would blow up next.

"We're going. Joss' cutting us a damn good path to the heart of the Hive," Shadow Eyes replied.

"Then keep at it," the lead ninja commanded as he moved faster to make sure Shego did not leave the Hive feet first.

"Gas masks go on now people," Trin informed everyone through the Kimmunicator. The hissing sound of the Hive filling with poisonous gas was hard to miss.

"Don't bother to clean it, Blondie. You and the non-cute Shin move your asses to that computer. Wade, you still with them?" Shego inquired while clawing through everything in her path.

"With them? Amy And I are ahead of them! Bring your crazy asses on! You don't have to kill every goddamn Bebes in your path and watch the lasers!" Wade screamed.

Shego could picture Trin and Shin stopping every few feet. Shin would need to break something and Trin would need to drag his dumbass along. Of course, that was what was happening.

-8-8-8-8-

"Shin, I swear if you veer to the left again, I'll fucking stab you myself!" Trin hollered as she took her partner-in-crime by the ear and pulled him back to their path.

"Shin, if you wander again, I'm ordering the ligers to eat you!" Amy called behind her. She was ahead of the pack with her squad of specially breed animals. Everything was a predator crossed with a predator crossed with a bigger predator then crossed with bugs for special surprises. There was a lot of roaring, claws, teeth, and acid spitting. The Bebes could plan for the animals that they could tell were there, but the insects they could not discern.

"Do you have a visual on Joss?" Wade asked his wife.

"It's starting to get too dark!" Amy replied. As they moved deeper into the Hive, it got darker and it was harder to watch the back of the Paladin clearing their path. She could vaguely make out the shape of the Comanche as Joss tore through Bebes as if she had been using the Comanche for years.

-8-8-8-8-

"Goddamn it, this is sweet in Warrior mode!" Joss laughed as she cut down Bebes with speed that she did not think possible. The Comanche's appearance had changed. Small spikes poked out of its shoulders, thighs, knuckles, and helmet. The knives that Joss wielded were now triple blades with thinner points coming out of the sides of the center blade.

"Just remember my power levels decrease faster in Warrior mode," the Comanche said.

"Don't be such a worrywart. We're almost there … I think," Joss replied.

"According to the maps uploaded by the Possible brothers, we're close," the Comanche assured her.

Joss smirked as they kept pushing. Bebes were coming out of way available space, but they were falling quickly. Joss broke through several walls and did not notice that she was so deep in the Hive that it was pitch black. The Comanche's sensors gave her a clear picture and let her see when they made it to the main frame.

"Guys, we're in! Tech geeks get your asses down here ASAP!" Joss shouted in her communication device.

"We've right behind you!" Wade replied. Joss could see them approaching.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie was surprised when she successfully pushed through the Bebes into the manufacturing section of the Hive. The Shadow Hand ninjas kept up with her and flooded into the room right after she knocked the wall down. It was as if they could see in the dark, Bonnie mused.

"Bonnie, do you still have missiles?" Ryujin inquired.

"A few. I'm using them on the start of the assembly line," Bonnie replied.

"Then let 'em fly!" Shadow Eyes called.

Bonnie did as suggested as soon as she spotted the beginning of the Bebes assembly line. The missiles whistled as came out of the Qin's fingertips and knees. The explosion lit up the room and the ninjas fanned out to take out any Bebes as well as ruin the rest of the assembly line just to be sure that there were no other Bebes being produced.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and the Toltec used the Warrior mode efficiently. A path was cut to Vivian's chambers, but as soon as she opened the room up, Betty Director seemed to appear out of nowhere. Betty stepped in front of the Toltec, but focused on Vivian, who was standing on the opposite end of the room.

"Kim, please, watch my back. I have to deal with Vivian myself," Betty declared.

"But—" Kim tried to protest, but Doctor Director cut her off.

"Kim! Just trust me on this! This is one issue that is thoroughly personal," Betty stated.

The redhead could hear the seriousness in Betty's voice, but there was more. There were deep emotions there, so Kim turned to guard the entrance. Betty stepped deeper into the room, pulling pistol from her hip.

"And why is this personal for you?" Vivian inquired in a mocking tone.

"Vivian, how could you fall so far? What happened to the sweetest woman on Earth? The woman that wouldn't even let me kill spiders, even though she was deathly afraid of them," Betty replied.

"What? Who the hell are you?" Vivian demanded, pointing a threatening finger at the mysterious figure. Betty flipped up her mask and Vivian gasped. The blond shook her head frantically. "No, you're dead! I saw Shego kill you! Oh, god, did she bring you back to life like she did with Kim Possible? Is she doing this to make me crazy?!"

At the frantic sound of Vivian's voice, Betty managed a slightly calmer approach, taking a step toward the shocked scientist. "No, Vivian, it's me. I didn't die. Shego didn't kill me."

Vivian shook her head even more, as if trying to get the words out of her head. "Shego killed you! I saw it myself! She killed you!"

"Listen to me, Vivi," Betty said, knowing the pet name would be all the proof she needed.

"Vivi? Betty was the only person that ever called me that," Vivian said in a low voice.

"I know I'm the only person to ever call you that. I'm also the only person that knows you prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, you like playing in the rain, and you often trip while walking upstairs so you make it a point to walk behind people," Betty stated.

"Betty …" Vivian whimpered.

"What happened to you, Vivi?" Betty asked in a quiet tone as slowly approached the Queen of the Bebes.

"What happened to me?" the blond echoed and then she reached out to slap Betty. Right after the blow landed, Vivian burst into sobs. "I thought you was dead! I thought Shego took you from me and you've been alive all of these years and you didn't bother to tell me! Do you know what I've been through all of the years? It's been Hell! I thought you loved me! How could you do this to me?" she hollered.

"Viv …" Betty reached out only to have her hand slapped away.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Vivian screamed. Betty disobeyed that immediately, wrapping her arms around the blond. She dropped her gun as she struggled to hold onto the squirming scientist.

"I'm so sorry you've been hurting. Let me explain, if only to ease your pain. First off, what happened was my fault. I was being stubborn and Shego kept saying we needed to get out of there, but I kept fighting. I almost got us both killed."

"But, Shego kicked you over—"

"No, she kicked me into the rail. It snapped and I went over. I shot my safety line, but the catwalk couldn't hold me. I landed in the fire, but was saved by my insanely loyal agent Will Du."

"And?" Vivian pressed.

"I was in a medically induced coma for a long while and then woke to find I lost sensation in my limbs and much of my body was useless. I decided to become a lab rat for one of your colleagues, Doctor Renton."

"You're a cyborg?" Vivian asked since she knew what Doctor Renton's work centered on.

"For the most part. It was either this or die a slow agonizing death," Betty answered.

Vivian sighed. "I've been dying for twenty years."

Betty slowly caressed Vivian's cheek. "It's time to live then, love. I came to kill you, thinking you had just gone mad and turned evil. Why are you with Junior?"

"I just wanted to kill Shego because she killed you …" Vivian sniffled.

"But, as we see I am not dead."

Vivian nodded and then she did the most extraordinary thing – she held her hands up in surrender. The Bebes suddenly all shut down, falling over. Apparently, the battle was over.

-8-8-8-8-

The Rebels went back to Kimber with Shego's troops and back to the Obsidian Manor. Betty requested time alone with their lone prisoner. Vivian had come along voluntarily because she was not willing to let go of Betty as if she thought the Rebel leader were going to disappear. The pair settled at the back of a conference room.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Betty asked in a surprisingly soft voice.

"Not much to tell. I ran into the fire after I saw you fall. I was burned badly and in constant pain. I was in so much pain and taking so many pills, some for the pain and some for depression and others to sleep at night. I couldn't go outside because people were always staring at me and being out in the sun hurt. When Junior came to me, I was about to kill myself …" Vivian explained in a low voice.

Betty held Vivian tighter. "Vivi, I should've been there for you."

"How could you? You couldn't do anything while in a coma."

"But, I'm your partner. I'm supposed to be there for you. Coma or not," Betty stated.

Vivian shook her head. "You're still as macho as ever."

"I'm not macho. I just worry about you. I thought about you the whole time, dreamed about you. Visions of your smile got me through the worst pain. When I heard you joined Junior and saw the things you were helping him do, I was convinced you went crazy and I was going to be the one to take you down," Betty whispered.

"Betty, Junior gave me purpose when I had nothing. He gave me a target, gave me a focus, gave me something to hold onto. He gave me a way to get rid of the constant pain."

"And all you had to do was wage war against the world," Betty hissed.

"But, I stopped being hurt. I was able to replace all my painful parts, including my body. This shell is my body and I don't feel pain anymore," the blond boasted.

"You don't feel at all if you don't care that you helped Junior destroy the world! What happened to you? You were so kind and you think I die and you lose your mind? What the hell, love?" Betty demanded.

"What do you mean 'what the hell?' I had nothing to live for! Everything was gone! Everything!" Vivian screamed, throwing her hands up.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Betty grabbed the blond again. "I'm sorry. I'm judging and being an asshole."

"Yes, you are, but you're my asshole. I've wanted you back for twenty years. I'm not going to let it go, even if you are an asshole. Besides, you're not the only asshole amongst us," Vivian admitted with a sigh. "Beyond the war atrocities, I did a little more. We have a … daughter."

"Daughter? Whoa, you didn't pull a Drakken, did you? I mean, that wacky bastard actually made Kim and Shego a daughter without asking!"

"No! She's nothing like that! She's great! Wonderful kid. She's a Bebe, yes, but great."

"A Bebe? Viv, she's just a Bebe."

"No, you have to meet her!" Vivian declared as she hopped to her feet. "You'll love her! I promise!" The excitement would have been cute if only Vivian was not the most powerful general in Junior's army and responsible for an untold amount of death.

"Vivian, what are you doing? It's not like they're going to let you go back to the Hive and pick her up," Betty pointed out.

"But, she's not at the Hive! She's …" Vivian trailed off. "Oh, god. I screwed up with her! Goddamn it!"

-8-8-8-8-

"Mom! Momma! Jessie showed me magic tricks! She pulled money out of my ears!" Shin greeted her mothers as they entered the apartment. She proudly held up the money – three nearly worthless coins.

"Wow, you're totally rich," Shego said.

"No, I'm not! I checked!" Shin replied.

Shego snorted. "Just when I thought she was all Go, she proves herself a Possible. Had my dad told me or my brothers three quarters made us rich, we'd have believed him until our mom let us know we were idiots."

"My dad never would've been able to that. He tried, but he always did something that eventually he'd have to tell the truth because we always asked too many questions," Kim explained.

"Of course," Shego said and then she turned her attention to Jessie. "Thanks for watching her. Sorry for being gone so long. Things went weird."

"Weird? How so?" Jessie asked.

Shego thought about it for a moment. "We attacked the Hive. Doctor Vivian Porter surrendered before Junior could send in backup." Kim looked at the western ruler, surprised that she easily let go of such information.

Jessie gasped and her eyes betrayed her, but it was not the emotion that Shego expected. There was concern, sadness, and some relief. Kim saw it, too, and her actions did not surprise Shego. The Legend put her hand on Jessie's shoulder.

"You can tell us," Kim promised in a tender tone.

"You're not going to hurt her, right?" Jessie asked.

"Maybe," Shego answered honestly, earning a glare.

"Please, don't!" Jessie begged, pressing her hands together. "I'll do anything!"

Shego regarded Jessie with a face that showed Shin had actually inherited the brow furrowing. "Jess, what is the deal? Talk to us."

Jessie sighed and glanced down. "She's … she's my mom."

"Your mom?" Kim echoed.

"Yes, and I'll do anything for you to not hurt her," Jessie promised.

"Kim, hang out with the kiddling for a second. Me and Jessie need to walk and talk," Shego said. Kim nodded while Shego grabbed Jessie and pulled her out of the door.

"I'm so sorry. I will do anything. Just don't hurt my mom. She's all I have," Jessie begged.

"Is she? Didn't we cover this just last week? Now, were you our delightful leak to Junior?" Shego demanded. Jessie could only nod. "I always figured something was up with you. I thought you might be the leak, but Ryu had confidence in you."

"I've changed," Jessie whispered.

"I know, which is why I'm actually not pissed. I can see you're different and your actions tend to prove you've changed for the better. Vivian being your mom explains a lot about you. You really like Ryujin, right?"

"I do! And, I sorta hate the Emperor now. But, my mom hates you. You killed my ma, so my mom hates you. I did this to help my mom, but I stopped to help Ryujin. Not to mention, I'm kind a fond of you and everybody else," Jessie admitted and she blushed a bit.

Shego gave her a sidelong glance. "Just to remind you, I did trust you to watch my kid."

Jessie nodded, but the worried look did not leave her face. The silence probably ate away at Jessie. Shego did not say anything on purpose. She wanted to see Jessie sweat. She was not surprised when the girl began crying quietly. _I actually feel bad for this kid. Damned if you do, damned if you don't_.

"Go in there," Shego ordered as they came to a door.

Jessie quietly obeyed as Shego opened the door. As soon as the girl was inside, Shego slammed the door. She then went about her business.

-8-8-8-8-

Jessie jumped as the door behind her slammed. The noise drew the attention of the two other occupants in the room. Jessie eyed the floor until she heard her name gasped, but it was her code name.

"Mom?" Jessie said as she looked up. There was her mom and a person with a face that looked awfully similar to her deceased ma. They were cuddled together at the back of the room. She felt almost embarrassed to witness the obviously private scene.

"Mirage, why are you here? Did Shego arrest you?" Vivian inquired in a slightly frantic tone.

Jessie shook her head. "I don't think so. What's going?"

"Come here," Vivian urged, reaching out for the teen. She then glanced at Betty and touched her hand. "Betty, this is our daughter, Mirage. She's also known as Jessica Elizabeth Director-Porter."

"Daughter?" Betty echoed as she locked eyes with Jessie.

"Most people call me Jessie," the teen said quite awkwardly.

Betty swallowed. "I think daughter will do just fine." Betty then grabbed Jessie into a hug. It was not the loving embrace Jessie knew a mother to give a child, but it was better than she expected. She would take it for now and hope for a better future. Things had to get better if her mom was not helping Junior anymore. The future had to get better.

-8-8-8-8-

This is the end of the fourth array. We have one more to go. The fifth array will be coming next week, same bat time, same bat channel, so don't go anywhere!

Special thanks to: Yogurth for letting me use his ideas and characters, LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), my betas williamsoft1 and mrTomC, and Blackbird for allowing me to use Shin (the cute one).


	49. Prologue: the Dragon Eaters War

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

_Fifth array: Twilight of the Gods_

Prologue: the Dragon Eaters War

Shadow Hand and his brand of ninja were born the second he saw the state of the world, even though he had not put a name to himself or the ninja that followed him. Just traveling to Shego's home base showed him sights that he never expected to see. Entire parts of the world that he knew had been wiped out through natural and unnatural causes. There had been genocides and mass murders that could rival any in history and a plague that made the Black Death look like the flu. He had not realized how much time had passed on while he was on Mount Yamanouchi. The world was deep into the Dragon Eaters' War. He needed to be brought up to speed.

"You've needed me, Shego, and you just let me stay on that mountain. I was supposed to be helping you and you let me slack off," he pointed out with a frown.

"You needed to stay away. You needed to be there and I have help," she assured him.

"How did it get like this?" he asked in disbelief. He did not even know where to start with what "this" was beyond the fact that it was sheer madness. "It's like the world lost its mind, both the people and the planet."

"I'll walk you through it as soon as it's safe to talk."

That was good enough for him. They came to Shego's headquarters, which in a past life he would have called the Bat Cave because it was essentially just that. Of course, thanks to Wade and the Possibles, Batman might have envied their setup.

"You're working with the Possibles?" he asked with slightly wide eyes.

"We all got together recently. Trin was the hardest to get on board, but she folded like a card house when her parents and brothers decided to join with me," Shego explained.

"How could I miss so much? It's been, what, seven years?" he inquired.

Shego snorted. "Try closer to nine. It doesn't matter, though. Come on, let's sit down and go though this. We'll get your people places to stay in a little while."

The Doctors Possible came over along with Wade. They stared at Ron for a second, studying him like something under one of their microscopes. They were obviously trying to place the face of the tall, muscle bound ninja. He felt the urge to cover his face, as if to hide or at least to keep them from seeing what he had become, keep them from somehow figuring out that he was a monster, a man that had taken a life in front of his own son. But, he was not the only person that changed.

"Ron, your hair …" Wade managed to comment.

Ron only put his hand through his now completely white mane. It turned white overnight; right after he killed Monkey Fist and visions of "what if" danced through his mind. Waking dreams of losing his son, lost in memories of failing Yori, and deserting Kim, he was surprised that his hair did not fall out outright. He did not sleep much after that and was still haunted by those things, even when awake.

"Bring me up to speed," Ron basically demanded. Everyone but Shego was taken aback by his gruff order.

"So, since you've been gone, the bad guys have gone from bad to worse. A couple of years ago a guy sank Australia for shits and giggles. They've also taken to fighting each other for territory. They've got armies now and they don't hesitate to fight countries and take over. Some have biological weapons and they've killed plenty of people with those and will undoubtedly kill more. Others throw money around and take over that way. Junior, yes, Senor Senior Junior has done both. Monkey Fist had been doing similar things on a smaller scale. We're not overwhelmed, yet, but the writings on the wall," Shego sighed.

"How did the guy sink Australia?" Ron asked as if it was something simple.

"He bought some crap from Hench as far as we know," Wade replied.

"Hench? He's selling crap to these lunatics?"

"Hasn't he always?" Shego wondered aloud.

"Hench sells to whoever has the money. Hell, most of our equipment came from Hench Co," Wade pointed out, motioning around the place to all of the high tech things that they had.

"No kidding. So, what else is happening? How can you afford to buy Hench Co. stuff?" Ron inquired.

Shego shrugged. "My money's still good in most circles. Ann and James pitched in and my parents help out every now and then. We've been fighting a war officially for the last five years and it's about the most confusing war ever because it's sort of a free-for-all, every-side-for-themselves. There's dozens of sides, good, bad, and everything in between."

Ron shook his head. "You should've gotten me sooner," he grunted.

"Don't live in the past," Shego said with a snort.

Unfortunately, that was the only place Ron knew how to live and that was evident when he donned his mask a day later and stopped using his real name. He became Shadow Hand and promised to aid Shego's cause, vowed to have her back, and pledged to keep her alive, to never fail her, unlike he had done for the last two important women in his life.

-8-8-8-8-

The world could collapse around Doctor Drakken and Doctor Porter and Junior was sure that they would fail to notice. They were both wrapped up in their greatest projects to date. Looking at the proposals that they had written up for him, he was certain that both projects would further his conquest of the world.

Most of Europe already belonged to him. He had gone after the continent of his father first. He had not taken his father's homeland, yet. It was one of the few countries that remained under their own sovereignty. Of course, he would not let that go on for long. He was not called the New Napoleon for nothing. He preferred the name New Caesar to anything else, though, and he tended to refer to himself as such.

"Father, I will not let you down," he vowed from behind his desk. He was dressed in his battle armor, as if he was about to go to war. The armor had been designed by Doctor Porter herself and updated constantly by her to make sure that he could continue his conquest.

He now occupied the Pope's personal office, which he had redecorated after destroying much of Vatican City. It had been a real pleasure to take over Italy since he planned on recreating the Roman Empire, the greatest empire ever known as far as he was concerned. Of course, that was based partially on the fact that the Romans were his ancestors and the fact that he did not know many other empires.

"I will be the first Caesar of the whole world, even the Romans couldn't say that," he boasted to the air.

His eyes strayed to the new map of the world. His country stretched from what used to be Italy to what was once Denmark over and through what was once Poland and down to Greece, which was soon going to be his. France still existed for now, but like the rest of the world, it was only a matter of time. He just needed to get certain people out of the way first.

"Perhaps I will take out the rest of Global Justice. They have been a thorn in my side for too long as it is," he decided.

The organization had been going strong, even with the death of their leader. Of course, that was years ago and they had long since replaced the martyred Doctor Director. He suspected that they bothered him more because her death was his fault. He wished that they just understood she was a casualty of war and just moved on. Instead, they tried her like some sort of saint and rallied under her name as if she were some sort of divine being when she was nothing more than weakling. A dead weakling.

"Of course, they are about to be the same," he chuckled. He needed to check with Doctor Porter about the Bebes before he did anything, though, so he made a call to her.

-8-8-8-8-

Vivian growled as her phone went off, alerting her that Junior was calling her. He was the only person that contacted her. The only person that cared that she was still alive.

"Well, not anymore," she muttered as she answered the call with an internal communication device. "Yes, sir."

"What took you so long to respond?" he demanded. He seemed to get less patient with the more territory he gained and the more bodies he piled up, the more he seemed to want.

"I was working," she answered the obvious. It was the only answer that he would accept without yelling like a child. But, then again, she was always working. Working kept her sane, working allowed her to hunt Shego and honor her beloved by getting vengeance for Betty Director.

"I need Bebes ready. I want to take the rest of Western Europe and then focus on the east," Junior informed her.

"Sir, I'm not sure if just the Bebe army would be enough to do such in their capacity." She knew that to be a fact actually. The Bebes had not really been the ones that got Junior his territory now. Drakken's weapons played role, as well as Junior's money. But, they still would not be able to take on the alliance formed by the rest of the European powers as well as what remained of the United States and Canada. A massive, planned eruption of Yellowstone's super volcano had done serious damage to the middle of the United States all the way up to Canada and down through Mexico.

South America would not be a problem as it was crawling with Plague and Africa was ripped apart into several pieces by earthquakes, now being fought over by other Dragons. China and Russia might also be problems for Junior, even though several different warlords controlled Russia now. Japan and a few other Asian countries might jump in if Junior attacked certain countries, too. He definitely needed a powerful army, possibly more powerful than she could make in the time he wanted it.

"No, they wouldn't be enough, but I have a plan," he assured her.

Vivian did not make it a point to question him. He provided her with the means to keep her sane and gave her a reason to live. Of course, she knew that was unhealthy, which was why in her spare time she worked on her own reasons to keep going. But, she would always strive to destroy Shego until that blight was wiped off of the grid.

"I will have all Bebes available to you and updated with the latest technology for when you want them," she replied.

"Good." He disconnected the communication on that note.

Vivian turned her attention back to her creation, which she considered her greatest model. It started out as a weapon, but she began adding almost every idea she had to until it became special for the sheer fact that it allowed her to see what worked, what did not work, aid what could be combined with what. Her doll Bebe, she called it, which became the basis for her greatest creation.

"Mom, may I help?" a small voice called as tiny, metallic feet pattered into the room.

Vivian's face had lost the capacity to smile because she had replaced her whole body with a metal shell. Over the years, she had become more Bebe than human, which she was fine with as it kept her daughter from asking questions. Her daughter was a Bebe with artificial intelligence that matched that of a toddler and if Vivian's calculations were correct that would grow into actual intelligence as her daughter aged and learned new material. She would never implant or upload knowledge into the girl's head. She needed to learn everything on her own and she was curious like any other child.

"May you help? What do you know about robotics, Jessica?" Vivian teased.

The little robot child giggled, just like any little girl. "I know some, Mom. You showed me. Remember?"

Vivian laughed. "Did I?" She pretended to forget.

"Yes! You showed me!" Jessica insisted, clapping her hands and bouncing, eager to help.

"Then show me what I showed you."

Jessica got to work on showing her mother. Unlike every other Bebe, Jessica could only learn though her senses, experience, and reading, like any other child. She had already developed a curiosity for certain subjects. She liked tinkering with her mother's cast off objects and experiments. Sometimes, she played with the Doll Bebe, trying to figure out things and adding her own little kiddie ideas. She asked questions all the time, which reminded Vivian of herself as a child. But, every now and then, visions of the person that she was supposed to have this child with poked through. It warmed her heart, even though it saddened her, too.

Jessica could be incredibly assertive and insistent, which was not something in Vivian's makeup. In fact, she often gave into Jessica when she was like that, which made her think of the person who was supposed to discipline the child. Most of the time, Jessica's bossiness remained internal because she did not have a reason to be that way.

"All right, Jessica, you work on this while I contact Doctor Drakken to see what weapons he has for our latest Bebes," Vivian said.

"Okay, Mom. I'll make sure everything's good!" Jessica promised.

-8-8-8-8-

Drakken rushed off of the phone with Vivian after telling her about his new weapons. He considered her beneath him and a waste of lab equipment that he could have used. After all, all she was doing was mass-producing his inventions! She was useless, but Junior wanted to keep her around and he knew better than to disagree with that maniac.

"Of course, he won't always be in charge," Drakken muttered to himself as he went back to work.

Vivian was not the only scientist that had been working on "offspring." Drakken had several projects going on to bring down that traitor Shego down and then to snatch the world right out of Junior's hands. The best part of it for him was that Shego would unwittingly help him in those endeavors.

He was practically done with his most important project and replacement for Shego – Tri-acid. He had tried his best to replicate Shego's powers with Tri-acid, but had yet to come close. He would keep trying. And soon he would have his own Shego to study anyway.

He turned to his test tubes and stared at the bodies floating inside. Cloning had always been a curiosity for him ever since he met Shego. The thought of having an army of her was far too tempting and then he saw her against Kim Possible. He practically had an orgasm when he pictured an army of both. He had glimpses of it when he had them both under mind control and that was like a drug. He needed more and he vowed to get more.

From that moment, he had collected genetic material from both females while they did their usual dance. They gave him more than enough to work with, which was good. He had failed a number of times in his quest for his perfect army. In fact, he was still failing at it and he did not like wasting the genetics. After all, there was no more Kim Possible for him to get to blood, hair, spit, and whatever else he might need.

"I shouldn't have killed those first few," he growled. He had taken his frustration out on the first couple of clones. They were different, true clones that looked just like that green traitor and that redheaded thorn-in-his-side. They had barely grown before he tortured and murdered them.

Drakken's musings were interrupted by a call from Junior. "I need Tri-acid ready for battle," the leader ordered. The call was disconnected right after that. He was used to the brash, abrupt nature of their leader.

"Tri-acid, you heard him," Drakken barked.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior's plan was simple. He attacked a small, unaligned country with something valuable in it. He wanted a confided area, just to keep his pawns contained. Global Justice rushed in barely twenty minutes into the assault, just like he wanted. They did not know that he was only using a fraction of the force that he had prepared, ready to wipe the law enforcers off the map.

Will Du was in charge of GJ and he was fierce in his leadership. He ordered his agents against the Bebes and their arsenal. He could switch on a dime and adjust whenever the situation called for it. He had grown, Junior knew, having researched and studied the young leader. Will Du had become what Junior had thought Kim Possible, who had surprisingly kept the world sane, would have been like if she had an army at her command.

Tri-acid went right for Global Justice's leader as soon as the fighting started. Will caught sight of him and barely dodged a blast of acid. He was more prepared for the second attack, but was not sure what he was taking on.

"Who the hell are you?" Will demanded and his answer was another blast from the jade-colored glob in the shape of a man.

"Just the person that will kill you," Try-acid replied with a laugh and then he continued his assault.

Will dodged arms that elongated and tried to knock his head off of his shoulders. He watched the ground bubble and fizz as drips from his opponent hit the floor. He dodged again as Try-acid marched toward him and then he picked up on the sounds of carnage from his agents. Glancing toward the real battle, he saw Bebes flooding into the area and slaughtering his men.

"Hold on!" Will called and found his face being stung by the edge of Try-Acid's arm. He hissed in pain as his flesh oozed and popped.

"Pay attention to me and my plasma!" Try-Acid roared as he let both of his arms fly.

Will did just that and dipped out of the way to avoid being burned. Aiming his wrist, he fired several taser wires at his opponent. Try-Acid laughed until the electric current burned through him. He screamed in pain, melted down a bit, and then became outraged as he managed to pull himself back to his proper form.

Try-Acid let loose an uncontrolled spray of what he called plasma. Will was able to avoid him, but not the collapsing debris that he was creating. A Bebe came out of nowhere to knock Will off balance and he was pinned underneath a falling wall. Try-Acid was not to be denied and attacked Will while he was down, pouring his plasma on the debris. Before he could see what he accomplished, Junior called a retreat because Shego's forces were on the way. He had other plans for Shego and while she was dealing with that, he would do other things.

-8-8-8-8-

"We got a live one!" was the call as Will was discovered under some plaster and steel beams that looked as if they had been eaten through. "Barely …"

Will was rushed to Shego's headquarters, where Ann struggled to save his life. Trin assisted her and they managed to save Will's life using a prototype of what they would later call green serum. While he was alive, he was not out of the woods, being stuck in a coma. Of course, that was for the best as he had a lot of healing to do. Eventually, some people from Global Justice came for Will and he was never seen again.

"What the hell was that? An ambush?" Shego wondered aloud in regards to the building full of dead Global Justice agents.

"Probably. Junior's a sadistic bastard," Wade sighed.

"This is what you've been dealing with and you didn't call me before?" Shadow Hand asked incredulously. He had donned the mask, the name, and vowed to protect Shego, even though Shego insisted that she did not need a bodyguard.

"Stay on alert. Junior's making a move," Shego ordered.

They all figured that she was right. Junior was probably trying to wipe out Global Justice and that battle had been a huge step. Shego also considered that he might be testing new weapons.

"Wade, see if you can get some kind of video of that battle," Shego commanded.

"On it!" Wade chirped.

"Doctors Possible, see if you can figure out any weapons from the marks left on the victims as soon as you have the time," the pale woman said.

"Of course," Ann replied while Trin nodded.

Shego shouted out a few more commands, but nothing would prepare her for Junior's next ambush attack. It was that attack that took her parents. Junior left a video addressed to Shego personally, so she could see exactly what happened, including what he did to their bodies. Shego withdrew for days. Ann was the person that entered her chambers to retrieve her.

"Shego, I understand you're in pain and you deserve time to mourn, but locking yourself in this room forever isn't the answer," Ann said gently as she watched Shego, who was sitting in a far corner of the room with her head down.

The former villain did not respond. Ann sat down with her and embraced her. Shego did not fight her, leaning into her. The strongest woman Ann had ever known, next to her own daughter, burst into tears, bawling like a small child. Ann made cooing noises with cuddling Shego.

"It makes no sense," Shego mumbled.

"What makes no sense?" Ann asked quietly.

"They're the most powerful people I've ever known and Junior kills them? Junior, who probably couldn't find his ass with both hands and a map? Junior? Are you kidding me?" Shego scoffed.

"He got them because they were being heroes. They were saving lives. They were amazing."

Shego nodded. "I thought they would live forever."

Ann only nodded. Shego held onto a child's view of her parents – they were omnipotent and immortal. Of course, her parents were master martial artists and her father had had a glow of his own, so they probably closer to omnipotent than most other parents.

"I know I can't sit here forever and feel sorry for myself. I have to contact my brothers and then kick Junior's ass!" Shego snarled.

Ann took what she could get since the pale woman climbed to her feet. Shego was ready to take on Junior again, but first she needed to call her brothers. She contacted the Wego twins, who got Mego and Hego.

"What's up, sis?" one of the twins asked.

"Miss me?" Mego inquired with a grin.

Shego sighed and tried her best to keep a straight face. "This is serious. I need you guys to sit down."

"Sis, what's wrong?" the other twin asked.

Shego took a deep breath. "Mommy and Daddy …" She took another breath. "Mommy and Daddy … they died …" she whispered.

The brothers were silent for a long time. "What?" Mego managed to choke out.

"Mommy and Daddy died. Junior killed them," she replied, voice catching in her throat.

"Wha-what do you mean? No way a pussy like Junior could take out Dad and Mommy!" the twins protested.

"He didn't do it personally. His clockwork goon squad did it. He lured them to an area by attacking a bunch of people and while they were saving them, he surrounded them. They saved a lot of lives …" Shego sniffed as did her brothers. She figured they did not need to know the grizzly details, especially how Junior disrespected the bodies and then made sure they would never have anything to bury.

"Why didn't you do something? You're supposed to be the world savior! Why didn't you save them?" Hego demanded with a glare that cut right through his younger sister. He stormed off before she could defend herself.

"How could you watch Mommy and Daddy die? Why didn't you do something?" Mego dared to ask.

Shego was speechless and her brother was gone. The twins stammered, unsure what to say. They were crying and she did not know what to say. She wished that she could hold them, hug them, and physically assure them that everything was going to be all right.

"I wasn't there. I would've saved them," she vowed in a low voice.

"Or died with them. It's not your fault, sis," one Wego assured her.

"Don't blame yourself. We don't. Hego and Mego need time," the other added.

Shego sighed and they disconnected the call. It was the last time she would speak with them. She would eventually learn that they tried to attack Junior. Shego was not sure what happened to them, but since Junior did not taunt her with their deaths, she assumed that they were still alive.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior had been on a roll in taking out both fellow Dragons and so-called Knights. The thing that stopped his onslaught was a series of off the chart earthquakes, followed by massive tidal waves, out of control fires, and other natural disasters. These events changed the world unlike all of the other quakes because it shifted the world several times, breaking continents apart, crashing islands into each other, sinking landmasses, raising others, and wiping out whole populations. It changed the game. It changed everything.

A direct effect was that it almost killed Drakken. One of the earthquakes was so powerful that even though Drakken's lab was equipped to handle earthquakes, part of it still collapsed. He was buried and went hoarse screaming for help that did not seem to be coming.

"Help," the blue-skinned scientist whispered.

"Don't worry! I'm here!" he heard Try-Acid call.

Drakken lay still as he heard shuffling and soon that was light. As his eyes adjusted, he saw a green blur standing over him. He almost whispered the name "Shego," but caught himself. Even in his delirium, he knew that Shego would never come back to him. His vision and mind cleared to figure out it was Try-Acid hovering over him.

"Can you stand?" Try-Acid inquired. There almost seemed to be concern in his voice and his featureless face.

Drakken grunted. "No."

Try-Acid wasted no time lifting him up from the rubble. Drakken was actually bewildered, his face scrunching up. Try-Acid seemed to think that he was hurting the scientist as he picked him up with even more care.

"Why are you helping me?" Drakken asked, even though he had programed Try-Acid to be a bodyguard. But, he was about to learn that there was more to the programming.

"Because you're my father. You created me."

Drakken's mouth dropped open. He did not usually speak with Try-Acid, more at him, so he did not know the creature had thoughts. He certainly did not know that Try-Acid thought of him as a father, especially since he thought of Try- Acid as a thing. Never again.

"You're a good son," Drakken told his creation with emotion in his tone.

Try-Acid visibly preened from that compliment. He would do the same when Drakken gave him the real name of Adam Lipsky. Drakken actually felt good to have someone by his side again. It was good to have someone so close since his legs would never be strong enough to support his aging body, even though they would heal.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior was enraged with the earthquakes and made it know. Missiles flew for days and cities that had survived the continents shifting fell to Junior. Shego and her crew rushed to the aid of survivors. Ann set up a hospital, which they learned too late was a prime target for Junior. At least they had something to bury when they lost Ann, as well as dozens of patients.

"I'm sorry," Shego said, putting her arms around Jim and Tim. They were men now, but both crying for their mother. They both walked away from her without words and all she could hear were her own brothers accusing her of letting their own parents die. She would be sorry for a long time.

She picked herself up and continued working, even though there were times when it all felt so futile. She contacted Hench, hoping that he would be able replace a lot of the equipment she lost. He only made matters worse.

"Your money's no good anymore, Shego. Hell, money isn't good. Call me when you get some gold, silver, or any other precious metals, stones, or gems or even wine and other elegant goods," Hench told her.

Shego snorted. She did not have time for that. She needed to organize and help survivors.

The world kept going through changes, both natural and artificial. Shego put people into stable towns that were close together, easy to defend from Dragons. DNAmy joined them during that time, having lost everything in an earthquake and fire. She was all too aware how crazy Junior was and would never go to him for anything.

Hench seemed to do the opposite. For some reason, Junior's money was still good. Of course, Junior might have had the precious metals and stones that Hench requested. Eventually, Junior set Hench up with a decadent manor and then his own city.

Eventually, lines were drawn, or mountains anyway. There were no more Dragons. There were no more Knights. There were Junior, Shego, and people that did not trust either of them. And, of course, there were piles of dead bodies.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: family drama and Junior's reaction to the fall of the Hive.


	50. 5:1: the Allstars

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.1: the All-stars

The city of Isabella was ripe with rumors. There was talk that the Savior and the Legend had rid the world of Bebes. The thought itself seemed like a reason to rejoice, even if they were not sure it was true. The Possible twins found themselves slightly disgusted and slightly amused that a simple rumor could cause a stir in the world's largest city.

"You'd think they'd want confirmation before celebrating the death of the Bebes," Jim sighed, shaking his head. They were wandering the city while waiting to see what Doctor Director was going to do.

"I think it's awful that just the idea of no more Bebes is news. Junior has wrecked this world so much that the _idea_ of no Bebes brings joy," Tim replied. Tim has a sneaking suspicion that Betty was going to stay a while if that was what Doctor Porter desired, but he did not share that with his brother.

"Junior is a monster, but then again, the alternative isn't much better. Shego even brainwashed Kim. And that thing she's calling a daughter. Shego did something to her! She wasn't this crazy when we saw her before! We should've stepped in and taken her then before that green she-beast got a chance to brainwash her!" Jim insisted, moving close to his twin to hiss in his face.

Tim put a hand on his twin's shoulder to calm him down. "Hey, I don't think it's the best plan you've had to publicly bad mouth Shego and Kim. Besides, you don't know what happened between Shego and Kim. We should talk to her."

"Why? So, she can lie to us?" Jim huffed, pulling away. He scowled and stomped just a little harder as they walked.

Tim sighed. "Dude, you can't forsake Kim for reasons you think you know. You act like you want to lose her."

"She's the one losing us!" Jim proclaimed.

"That doesn't even make sense. Jim, she's right there, waiting for us. They're all waiting for us. Kim, Trin, Joss, a niece we didn't know we had and even Shego. How long are you going to be pissed? And for what? Because Kim shoved Shego out of the way and was buried? Because Shego tried to make it up to Kim by fighting crime and tried to make it up to us by being there? Because she wasn't there to pull Mom out of the way of a missile? Because she wasn't there to save Dad? What? Are you just fucking pissed that she's not omnipotent?" Tim demanded with a frown of his own. He stopped walking and folded his arms across his massive chest.

Jim scowled. "You don't know? If you don't know why are you even here?" his tone was partially incredulous, but mostly outraged.

"I'm here because you're my brother and you need someone by your side. We both know that. You wouldn't make alone, neither of us would. Plus, I was once pissed off, too, but I got over it. When are you going to? Or are you just going to carry a stone in your heart until you push everyone away?" Tim countered.

Jim's response was to glare at his double. Tim took that as his answer and he turned around on his heel, leaving his twin scowling in the street. Jim was now alone. Tim was sure that the other genius would figure out why and correct the issue. If not, he would truly be alone in the world. _And he won't survive like that, but he needs to see that for himself_.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was enjoying time with her family, even though they were not doing anything beyond being curled up on the couch together. Shin was asleep in between Shego and Kim. Kim was gently stroking their daughter's hair while Shego caressed Kim's arm.

"You know, despite the gross disregard for all things moral and right, I'm happy that Drakken made her," Kim commented.

"Only because we have her now. Think about the one he still has and what he's doing to her," Shego sighed.

"We'll rescue her when we get a chance. It'll work out," Kim smiled.

Shego laughed a bit. "You're so optimistic. It's adorable." She leaned forward, as if she were going to kiss Kim, but thought better of it and stopped.

Kim carefully closed the distance between them, not wanting to wake Shin while they were locking lips. Shego's eyes fluttered shut as Kim's lips moved softly against her own. All too soon Kim pulled away and Shego let loose a small whine in protest.

"Just for the future, if you want to kiss me, you can," Kim assured the older woman.

"That is good to know … for the future," Shego commented with a chuckle. "That counts the immediate future, too, right?"

Kim laughed and nodded. Shego smiled and leaned over again. She did not get very far as the doorbell rang. They both growled, but Shego was the one that got up.

"I'll put the baby to bed," Kim offered.

"Sure," Shego replied while going to see who was at the door. She blinked in surprise as she opened the door. "Tim?"

"Hey, Shego. I hope it's okay that I'm here. I wanted to talk to you and Kim," he explained with his eyes on his feet and then on the ceiling. Eventually, his gaze fell to the western ruler.

"Sure. Come in. Where's your brother?" Shego stepped out of the way, so that he could enter. She looked out into her yard, thinking the other twin might be out there.

"Hell if I know. Probably still steaming in the middle of the street in Isabella," Tim replied with a shrug.

Shego shut the door and showed him to the living room. He had to look around; the rich, rather royal décor made the eyes wander. Shego sat down while he took in the sight for a few moments before he followed suit, leaving plenty of space between them on the couch.

"So, where's Kim?" he asked curiously.

"She's just putting Shin to bed. She should be back in a minute," she replied.

"So … how do you like having a daughter?"

"Shin's great. We adore her. She's … she's always happy to meet new family."

He smiled. "I think I'll like having a niece."

"That's good," Kim commented as she joined them. She sat next to Shego and purposely cuddled as close to the older woman as possible without having to share a body. Shego smiled from the contact while Tim blushed a bit, as if embarrassed, but not upset.

"So, you two really are a couple?" Tim inquired. Shego could not answer because she had no idea what they were, but Kim chimed in quickly with her usual confidence.

"We are," Kim proclaimed and then she turned to the pale woman. "Right?"

Shego smiled softly. "Of course, Princess." She pulled the redhead closer to her and wrapped Kim into a loving embrace.

"Look, I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow and I refuse to let myself get wrapped up in Jim's crap anymore. Yes, I want to be there for him, but Kim, I can't just write you off like he did. It's been twenty years and we thought you were dead. I'm not going to miss out on more time with you. This is a blessing I'm not going to squander," Tim informed them.

Kim smiled. "I'm happy about that."

"Kimmie needs and deserves all the family she can get," Shego said.

"No, we all do. These are trying times and we all need to band together and support each other," Kim declared. "What's Jim's problem, anyway?"

Tim sighed. "I'm not sure really. Not anymore, anyway. I thought … or I think it's a number of things. For a while, I was angry, like he was. I blamed Shego for this whole mess. I blamed Shego for everything because it was easy. She was the reason yon were gone, so logically she was the reason all the crazy people came out of the woodworks, people like Junior. Since she was responsible for Junior, then she was responsible for Mom getting killed and then Dad and Uncle Slim. Eventually, I rationalized it out for myself and I thought Jim would, too. I mean, we've always thought alike, so I figure it was only a matter of time. Years later, though, he just keeps getting more and more angry and bitter. He's wrapped up in and consumed by those emotions and he's going to end up exactly where he doesn't want to be. He doesn't want to be alone, but he doesn't know how to hold onto anything but his anger and hatred now."

"We need to do something," Kim said.

"We can't. Jim has to want our help or he'll just get more and more resentful. You should see him any time we run into Shego and she's cordial. The way he acts afterward, you'd think Shego shot Mom and Dad personally," Tim snorted.

Shego's face fell and her eyes watered. "What did he want me to do? For so long, you guys might have been the Wegos for me. Your Mom … she might as well have been my mom."

Tim sighed and shook his head. "That was part of the problem. You were moving in on our family, replacing Kim, trying to become Kim. It pissed us off for a long time. For a while, we even thought you killed Kim just so you could take her place."

Shego whimpered and tried to pull Kim closer, as if for security and protection. The redhead wrapped her arms around Shego's shoulders and kissed her cheek. The small show of affection caused the pale woman to relax.

"Look, I don't think like that anymore, but I couldn't abandon Jim. Besides, I'm still not sure what you'll do once Junior is defeated. I don't know what you'll do tomorrow," Tim admitted.

"Hey, Shego doesn't have to put up with this and she doesn't have to listen to you doubt her. She's a good person and you should know that if you used to be so close to her!" Kim proclaimed.

Shego's mouth feel open while Tim just stared. The western ruler could not believe Kim Possible was defending her, especially to Tim Possible. She nuzzled Kim's neck.

"I just fell more in love with you," Shego whispered and she kissed behind Kim's ear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't come here to cause more trouble. I want to start over. I don't want to alienate you, Kim," Tim implored.

The redhead nodded. "I want you guys in my life, but you have to understand that it's not just my life. I have a daughter and a partner now." She clutched Shego's hand. "You said you don't know what'll happen tomorrow, but neither do I. I do know I have feelings for Shego that I can't fight anymore because tomorrow I could really die and I'd have denied myself a comfort in my life and I'd have denied Shego one of the things she's craved. I'm going to live my life to the fullest with her and our child. You have to be able to deal with that."

Tim swallowed and nodded. "I want to. I want to be in your life and in Shin's life. And, I'm ready to be fully over this thing with Shego. I'm willing to put the work in." A stone cold, resolute expression took over his whole face. "I will put the work in."

"What about Jim?" Kim asked.

"Only he can decide if his hatred is worth more than his family," Tim pointed out.

"We can't just give up on him," Kim replied.

"You said it best, he's giving up on us, picking his hate over us. He has to get over himself. But, I'm not losing you again. We're here, you're here, it's something to be thankful for and I am thank for it," Tim proclaimed with a smile.

Kim smiled back. As Tim said, they did not know what would happen tomorrow. Hell, she was not sure what would happen in an hour, so she was just going to enjoy Tim's company. After all, the Rebels could leave at any moment and Tim would certainly go with them.

-8-8-8-8-

Another family reunion was taking place in a conference room. Betty Director was still sitting with Vivian and their daughter, Jessica, also known as Mirage. They were quiet since Vivian had introduced Betty and Jessica. There were questions for sure, but they all knew those questions would break the peace of the moment. But, the moment could not last.

"Vivian …" Betty whispered.

There was a beat of silence. "Yes?" the scientist answered.

"I want us to be able to move forward. I want us to be together. I still love you and always will, so I want us to be an us again," Betty stated what she felt was obvious.

"I want that, too." Vivian glanced at Jessie. "With our daughter."

Betty looked at Jessie. She was not sure what to make of the Bebe. She partially considered that her beloved had gone mad sometime during the years and was delusional in regards to the robot. Somehow, Jessie seemed to know what she was thinking.

"I'm not a thing," Jessie said, directing Vivian's attention to her, too.

"I didn't say you were," Betty argued.

"No, but you look at me as the Emperor does and he doesn't even see me in this disguise. I'm not just a Bebe. Yes, that's what my body is, but I have a mind. I think for myself. Just ask, Mom," Jessie huffed.

Vivian reached out and caressed the side of Jessie's head. "She's a strong-willed girl. She definitely has a will of her own, opinions of her own. She tried to save me from myself. She was my salvation for a long time, my connection to you."

"I should've said something sooner," Jessie lamented.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. After all, I practically disowned you the second you showed you had a will of your own," Vivian pointed out.

Jessie nodded and then turned to Betty. "I know it's hard to take in. Yes, I'm a Bebe, but I'm a person, too. I have opinions and thoughts, likes and dislikes, and I feel emotions. Please, give me a chance. I want to know you and I want you to know me."

"I'm going to do my best. I owe it to you for taking care of Vivian for me," the Rebel leader replied.

"So, what now?" Jessie wondered aloud.

Her parents did not answer. She suspected that they did not what to answer because they did not want to think beyond the now. They were together now and the war could not take that way from them.

-8-8-8-8-

Monique and Tara wore themselves out in training while everyone else had been gone. Wade offered them apartments, but they decided to stay with Bonnie as soon as she offered, even though there was only one bedroom at the moment. There were empty spaces that they could turn into bedrooms. The pair was so tired that Monique just crashed on the sofa and Tara accepted the floor because she fell there.

Bonnie smiled at the both of them and got some blankets for them. "I'm glad you both worked so hard. I hope it helps us defeat the bastard that ruined all of our lives," she muttered as she covered the ladies.

Bonnie then went to bed herself, but could not sleep. She was in Kim's old bed and she knew that she could not stay there and get over her attraction to Kim. She wanted to be around people, so she thought maybe she, Tara, and Monique could all get a new apartment together. She called Wade with the idea and he already had a space prepared.

"Move whenever you want," he told her.

"Thanks, Wade." Bonnie smiled.

"Thank you. You've been a big help in this thing, Bonnie. You're a brave woman. No matter what, he couldn't take that from you."

"I don't want him to take anything more from anyone." She glanced out into the living room where her companions slept.

"I know. You're doing the right thing. He hasn't beaten you. He hasn't beaten us."

"And he won't," Bonnie vowed with steel in her tone.

Wade chuckled. "Get some sleep. Who knows when we'll need to go out again."

"All right." They disconnected the communication and for some reason that was enough to help relax Bonnie. She was asleep within seconds.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior overturned his whole desk as he got reports on the whole Bebe Hive being destroyed by Shego. He never thought such a thing would ever happen. The only place with better defenses than the Hive was his flying Citadel. He tried to get in contact with Doctor Porter, but found it impossible. He could barely get footage of the attack because all the Bebes at the Hive had shut down.

"Did they destroy Doctor Porter?" he wondered aloud with a growl. While he had long since questioned her loyalty, he was almost certain that she would never help Shego because she viewed Shego as the source of all of her misery. The only reason he should not be able to contact her was if she were dead.

Looking around his office, he put his hand through the nearest wall to sate his anger. Of course, it did not help. He knew that he needed to act before Shego got the momentum of the war and truly went on the offensive. He needed to see what toys she had before she used them on another critical section of his empire.

"Get me Hench and Drakken!" he roared with the might that would have frightened a lion if they were not extinct. "Now!" he added in case no one was taking him seriously.

"You called, sire?" Hench said, his face appearing on a monitor in Junior's office wall since the phone was broken under the upturned desk.

"I need weapons and troops! I want to go into Kimber ASAP and ruin Shego!" Junior screamed. "And where the hell is Drakken? I said I wanted Drakken now!"

At that, the cerulean scientist appeared on the monitor right next to Hench. "Yes, highness?"

"Where have you been? The damned Hive was attacked and is completely off line. All of the Bebes shut down and Doctor Porter may very well be destroyed. I need all of your forces. I need you to rush the clones you have available. Hench, be sure to have your people help rush the clones! We have to get ahead of this before Shego gets another chance at us!" Junior bellowed.

"Are all of the Bebes off line?" Hench asked curiously.

"I knew I should've been left in charge of the Bebes! This never would've happened if I was still making Bebes!" Drakken hollered.

"Doctor, that is neither here nor there. The Bebes are all off line. I need someone to get them back up and I need the clones ready to fight. We need to crush Shego. Now. Someone find a video of what the hell Shego did at the Hive!" Junior ordered and frowned when he saw that they were still looking at him. "Well? Get to it!" he shouted. The screen quickly went blank.

Still not satisfied, Junior put his hand through the wall again. Getting nothing from that, he turned on the monitor to look at the little bit of footage he was able to salvage from the attack. He could not see anything special through the blurs of images. There were Shego's regular troops, then a shot of that giant suit of armor, followed by a charge of said troops, and lastly another shot of the suit. He was about to dismiss the whole thing when he took a closer look at the suit.

"That's a different suit. How many of those things does she have?" he growled. He called for Hench and Drakken a second time.

"Sire?" Hench said.

"For this next attack, have Try-Acid and Hyperion on standby. If Shego's power suits show up, I want those two to tear it apart and collect the pieces for you to examine. And I want the clones ready to fight with upgraded armor ASAP," he told them before disconnecting the communication himself.

His monitor went back to the mystery suit. He studied it, the shape, the color, and all that he could from a paused picture. He then let the video run, hoping to understand the movement of the machines, hoping to understand how to destroy them, and how to stop Shego once and for all.

"You will not have this world, Shego. It is for me and my father," Junior proclaimed with a scowl as dark lines cut underneath his wild eyes. "This world was made for me."

-8-8-8-8-

The alarm sounding disturbed everyone's sleep; well, those that did sleep. Shego was in her office and ran right out into Kim. The redhead was on her Kimmunicator. Shego did not bother to as what Kim was doing once she heard the hero say the name "Jessie."

"She's going to come and watch Peewee?" Shego inquired as her child came charging out of her room. She hit her momma at a good clip, almost knocking the wind out of Shego.

"I don't want you to go!" Shin wailed in a gruff, sleepy voice.

"You know we have to," Shego gently countered.

"Jessie's going to come and keep you company," Kim told the little girl while rubbing her back.

"But, you just got home!" Shin pointed out.

"I know," Kim sighed.

"Hey, how about when we come back, we have a family day?" Shego suggested. Of course, that was how they typically spent their days now. She worked when Shin slept or only when she could take the child with her.

Shin pouted, but nodded, showing that she at least understood that her mothers had important tasks in protecting her. They stayed with her until Jessie showed up, who seemed surprised to be there. Shego stepped over to speak with her while Kim had a long goodbye with their daughter.

"I didn't know if you wanted me to come or not since you know who my mother is," Jessie confessed.

"Jess, are you planning to betray us to Junior right now?" Shego asked with a half-smile.

Jessie yelped. "No, of course not! You've been great to me while he's always been horrible!"

"Good. I trust you. You're sincere. Kim trusts you, too. Besides, the spud likes you and you're the only one not heading out to fight. Just know that if you do betray us, I won't hesitate in killing you," Shego said seriously.

Jessie gulped and nodded while Shego turned to her child with a big grin. She threw her hands open and Shin flung herself at her momma. They had tight hug before Shego and Kim vanished out the front door.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Jessie asked with a smile.

Shin sniffled. "Not sleepy anymore. Besides, the stupid alarm is gonna buzz for ten more minutes."

"I know."

"Jessie." Shin looked up and regarded Jessie with sorrowful, but oddly mature emerald eyes.

"Yeah?" the teen replied.

"Why is the Emperor such a jerk? Why does he want to fight and hurt and kill everything? I just want to be able to stay with my moms and have fun with them. I want us all to be happy and safe," Shin declared as she held onto Jessie's hand.

"I want that, too, and your moms want that. They're trying to make things happy and safe. Trust them," Jessie said and she crouched down to embrace the child. She held onto Shin tightly, who returned the hug with just as much vigor.

-8-8-8-8-

"What the hell is Junior thinking? He didn't even give us a chance to celebrate our victory!" Shego huffed as they charged out for battle. She noticed that there were Rebels running along side her own people. She was glad that they would defend her countrymen despite what they felt about her.

"Why would he? He has to prove that he's better than we are," Wade pointed out.

"Let's see what he has then!" Shego proclaimed with a grin.

They wasted no time getting to battlefield to see what Junior was trying to come at them with. There were synthodrones and no Bebes anywhere. Other robots had joined the party, but they proved to be a poor substitute for the Bebes. But, they were trying to destroy a village, just like the Bebes would.

"Shego, should I join the battle?" Bonnie asked through her communication device. She was on standby because unlike Kim and Joss, she could only fight the war in her Paladin. While Kim had taught her a little self-defense, it definitely was not enough for her to come out in a battle on her own.

"Stay on standby! I don't want you coming out unless absolutely necessary," Shego replied and then she had to duck her now usual opponent. Flaring her hands, she turned her attention to Kigo-one. "Come to momma," she remarked.

"I've got you now!" Kigo-one screamed as she landed and flared her own hands. "I'm the first, so you shouldn't be able to do that!"

"You need to calm down. I'm the original and you're a combination of my DNA and Kim Possible's DNA. We can help you," Shego said. After all, Kigo-one was pretty much their daughter, too.

"I don't need help! I need you to die!" Kigo-one howled as she attacked, swinging at the western ruler.

Shego put up her hands in defense, but found herself unable to truly attack now. The best she could do was try to tear Kigo-one out of that armor and capture her. It was worth it if it meant that she could save her child, her brainwashed, tormented child.

"Why don't you fight back?!" Kigo-one demanded, rage mounting for whatever reason. Her plasma flared higher and she roared as she continued to attack.

"I will," Shego replied. _As soon as I can figure out how without hurting her_. She changed her mind as she found herself on her back and bleeding from her lip. _Okay, I can hurt her up a bit. Mommy hurt me sometimes and I didn't hold a grudge_.

Jumping to her feet and avoiding having her head crushed by Kigo-one's armored foot, Shego was back in her fighting stance. Before she could counter Kigo-one, synthodrones came up behind her and tried to distract her. They were easy enough to get rid of, but Kigo-one attacked at the same time.

Shego used one of the drones to hit Kigo-one, backing her up. Kigo-one roared again, soundly like a furious dragon with plasma shooting out of her mouth. She charged at the western ruler with murder in her body language. Shego slapped her with another drone as she charged forward.

"Stop playing around! I'll kill you!" Kigo-one screamed.

"Sure, after you throw a tantrum," Shego teased.

Kigo-one only roared again and flared her hands higher. Shego was surprised that Kigo-one could generate so much power, even with her anger at her highest. She actually set several nearby trees on fire and her feet left scorch marks on the ground, even though they were not lit by her plasma.

"Kigo-one, it's dangerous to burn that brightly," Shego tried to warn her. "You need to calm down or you'll hurt yourself."

"Shut up and fucking die!" Kigo-one let loose a wall of plasma, consuming everything in front of her.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Joss stuck close together and the Possible twins stuck close to them. The drones were not particularly difficult, especially when Trin and Shin (the non-cute one) showed up with the spray to melt the drones. Everyone else took care of the robots. The battle seemed simple enough until there were two surprises. Try-Acid burned a path though the brush and Hyperion fell from the sky.

"What the hell?" Joss gasped.

"Both of them?" Tim said in disbelief.

"Shit!" they all screamed as the two most lethal warriors in Junior's arsenal attacked.

"Toltec!" Kim called for the Paladin through her Kimmunicator. "Bring the Comanche with you!" She then had to put her staff up to block an ice attack from Hyperion.

"We're coming!" the Toltec replied.

"Should I come?" Bonnie asked curiously. She and the Qin were waiting for their chance.

"Wait, we'll see. You're our last surprise," Kim reminded Bonnie. She dodged a fire attack by leaping into a tree with low branches. It gave her enough cover for a precious few seconds as the Toltec arrived and she was able to sneak into the suit.

"Time to rock and roll!" the Toltec declared as they landed in between Try-Acid and Hyperion to block them from the rest of her family. It gave Joss a chance to get into the Comanche.

"I'll get the snot-bubble!" Joss informed Kim.

"_We_ get the snot-bubble," the Comanche corrected its operator.

"Damn right we do!" the auburn-haired warrior chuckled.

Joss and the Comanche pushed at Try-Acid to separate him from Hyperion. It did not take any coaxing for that to happen and before Joss even realized it, there was a plasma blast coming at her. The Comanche threw up the shield to avoid being melted, but Try-Acid was on the Paladin just as quickly as he threw the blast.

Joss pulled the guns on the Comanche's sides as soon as she got the chance. She fired on Try-Acid, only to have the shots go though him. Try-Acid enlarged himself to the size of the Paladin. The plasma-beast laughed and attacked by letting his arms fly. Joss moved out of the way, but knew that she would have to find an opening to defeat Try-Acid.

Kim and the Toltec went after Hyperion with vigor. His fire and ice attacks were intense. Kim could feel their bite through the Paladin's metal. Hyperion also used his powers to increase his size to fight the Toltec face-to-face. Kim actually preferred that. It was an easier fight and she drew the Toltec's secondary weapon – a poleaxe with an energy blade.

Suddenly, Hyperion paused, as if he were stunned by something, but Kim was not sure what. He recovered just in time to form an ice shield to block Kim's weapon. But, after that, Junior must have called a retreat because he and Try-Acid fell back. Kim was tempted to go after them, sure that she could take Hyperion.

"Let's chase down those sidewinders!" Joss hollered.

"No, let them go!" Doctor Director said, standing right behind Kim.

"Yeah, we need to regroup and come up with a plan. They could be trying to lead us into a trap," Kim agreed.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego frowned as Kigo-one rocketed off into the distance. She bore the scars of a plasma tantrum. But, Kigo-one was the one that was worse for wear, actually vomiting from the stress of her powers before fleeing the battle. Kigo-one had actually had trouble leaving the scene because of what over-using her powers had done to her. She had staggered and blood oozed a tiny trail as she flew off. The clone had plasma burst from her armor because of her emotional outburst and Shego knew that the kid's body was covered in wounds and weak. A tear ran down her scorched face.

"She might be lost to us." Shego actually felt fear for the first time in along time.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a kigo moment and some downtime.


	51. 5:2: Rest for the weary

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.2: Rest for the weary

Shego and her forces, as well as the Rebels that had joined in the surprise battle, returned to Isabella and the Obsidian Manor. The Elect had a meeting, letting the Rebel leaders join in since Betty and the twins seemed interested on what was going on. Well, Tim seemed interested while Jim was at least quiet, which was good enough for everyone else. Shego was going to bring Tara and Monique into it to keep them up to speed, but Bonnie told her that they had even slept through the battle alarm, so they were dead tired. Bonnie would have to catch them up.

"What do we got?" Shego asked.

"No Bebes, so I'm guessing Vivian is with us or at least serious about surrendering," Joss offered. Vivian had not been allowed in the meeting because they still had not quite figured out what to do with her in terms of being a prisoner of war.

"Vivian won't be a problem," Betty tried to assure them.

"She might not, but we still have Junior to deal with and I hate to think this might've just been a scouting trip. He wanted to see what we could handle, which was why he sent in his top warriors, but with the B-team foot soldiers," Shego said.

"Well, he didn't see much. His forces ran off before they could see much," Hana pointed out. It was definitely one of their quicker battles, but it did not seem like a designed retreat. She had barely broken a sweat before their enemies were leaving.

Kim nodded. "They definitely did not seem ready to run and why would he have his two best warriors show up to do so little?"

"He probably did want to do more, but couldn't. He might have been seeing if he could fight without the Bebes," Wade reasoned.

"Do you think Vivian is safe?" Betty inquired.

"Knowing Junior, he'll want revenge if he knows that she just gave up, but I doubt he knows she's with us. Hell, he still doesn't know we have his former wife," Shego scoffed and chuckled.

"Thank god," Bonnie sighed. "Can we just go to serious war with Junior? Take it to him like we took it to the Hive?"

"That takes time. We need to stock up on missiles to ground the flying Citadel. Even without the Bebes, he's still untouchable while he has his all-mighty fortress," Trin pointed out.

"Do we really need to ground Junior? He doesn't really have an army anymore. If we go and level Hench's city and Drakken's lab, we won. Story over!" Shin (the non-cute one) declared. He did not seem perturbed by the incredulous stares that he received.

"We don't know what kind of shit either of those places have as far as defenses and who the fuck knows what Junior has in that damned citadel. We can't say we won if Junior still walks the globe untouched, unpunished," Shego said while Trin slapped her evil twin in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Shin complained.

"Not to mention, do you know how many innocent people could be killed in something like that?" Wade added. Trin slapped Shin once more, just for good measure.

"Hey, hit me again!" Shin dared the blond doctor and, of course, she did. Things almost got of hand, but Doctor Director kept that from happening by speaking.

"Shego …" Betty said, pushing off the wall that she had been leaning against. "Given the time could you guys repeat what you did to the Hive?"

"We could do better," Shego vowed.

"We are not joining up with this monster!" Jim screamed, moving to get in Doctor Director's face. He pointed at the western ruler like she was an object. "No way in fucking Hell are we joining with her!"

"I didn't say we were," Betty stated calmly.

"You can't join up with us even if you were going to suggest that," Kim informed them. "You guys don't trust Shego and all you would do is start a new fight once Junior was defeated. Until we can all agree, we can't form a proper alliance."

"Kim's right," Wade seconded that.

Shego sighed. "Okay, things have gotten out of hand. How about we all sleep on it, think on it, and meet back here the day after tomorrow?"

"Is it safe to put this off?" Tim asked.

"He's not going to be able to muster another attack that fast and even if he could, it would be more worthless than this one was. He would just be wasting resources. Everybody get some rest," Shego proposed. They could not really argue because they were all exhausted.

As the meeting let out, Tim met the gaze of his brother. Jim's hard eyes softened just a bit, but Tim did not react to it. He turned and left without saying a word to Jim. All of the other Possibles did the same thing, but they did stop to speak with each other very briefly.

-8-8-8-8-

"You are by far the most worthless warrior on the face of the Earth!" Try-Acid barked at Kigo-one, who was lying down on the floor covered in sweat and smelling vomit and shame. He kicked her in the side and specially designed boots that prevented him from melting through the floor also saved her from having her abdomen burned worse than it already was. The impact caused her to throw up again.

They were in a conference room with Junior and Drakken along with Hench. The men were studying recordings of the battle, ignoring the obviously ill teen behind them. She was out of her armor, only because Junior had noticed that she had burned through some of it. Her blisters and cuts went untreated. Junior spent the entire time talking, pointing out the things that he wanted done to counter Shego's forces, ignoring her.

"Have we finally worked out how to accelerate the growth of the clones?" Junior inquired, staring the _thing_ behind a look of pure distain.

"A team put together a serum that should work. It'll still take some time, but they took the children sized clones that were given to them and now they're about her age," Hench replied, motioning to the curled up teen. "Of course, they lost some things in such rapid development."

"Like what?" Junior asked.

"Basic intelligence for instance. The suggestion to get around that was digitize their brains. So, they'd be part computer, which would have advantages," Hench answered.

"Yes, no becoming overly emotional or getting sick or injured." Junior glanced back at Kigo-one and sneered. "Develop better armor to take on those suits. Drakken, create weapons to fight those things and continue producing clones. Hench's team will join you. Someone work on getting the Bebes back online or at least retrieve data from them."

"Doctor Porter can't attend to that?" Hench asked in surprise.

"I don't believe Doctor Porter is with us any longer. I have not been able to contact her and all of the Bebes are still shut down. Even her spy is offline now. I will be sending a salvage team to the Hive and we might gain a better understanding of what happened there. Is there anything else to address?" Junior posed.

"I have footage of the clones we aged for your approval," Hench offered.

Drakken muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Kiss-ass."

"Proceed," Junior approved while giving Drakken a quick glare.

Hench took command of the monitor and changed the picture. Five clones that had been toddlers not too long ago were teens now. They were still in the tubes, but when the scene changed, they were out and moving. And then, they were fighting each other. Junior nodded.

"They were programmed?" the Emperor inquired.

"Yes, with the program they want to use for the rest. It works well, as you can see. The clones were even able to operate the armor because they were programmed to. There's nothing for them to learn and they don't have any emotions or fear. They just do what they're told," Hench answered.

"Good. Get as many as you can to that level," Junior ordered. He then turned to leave, but halted. Pointing down at Kigo-one, he spoke harshly. "Make sure none of them are like this. And if it fails me again, kill it." With that said, he was gone.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego and Kim entered Shego's home to the sound of laughter. Shin obviously was still awake. It sounded like Jessie was reading to her and doing all of the voices that Shin loved. As they came into the living room, they saw Shin snuggled on the couch with Jessie. As soon as they were in view, Shin's eyes were on them and shining.

"Mom! Momma!" Shin charged them and hugged them around the waist.

"Good to see you, too, Peewee," Shego smiled.

Kim leaned down and kissed Shin's cheek. "You've been being good for Jessie?"

"Yup! You can ask her! She's been reading me the stories and doing the voices even better than Momma!" Shin reported and then yawned.

"But, she should've been putting you to bed," Shego remarked, rubbing the top of Shin's head. "But, your mom can do that while I talk to Jessie for a moment."

Shin frowned. "You hafta tell me goodnight when I'm all tucked in."

"I will," Shego promised.

Shin did not look convinced, but Kim pulled her away anyway. Shego turned her attention to Jessie, who was basically standing on ceremony. Shego stepped over to her, scrutinizing the blond.

"Your mom staying with you?" Shego inquired.

A sorrowful look conquered Jessie's face. "I'm not sure. She doesn't want to leave my ma's side for anything and my ma … well, she looks at me like I'm a thing. I don't know if she'll be too comfortable staying in my tiny apartment with me, staring her in the face and being an abomination and all."

Shego's brow furrowed a bit; it was now clear where Shin got the expression. "An abomination? Well, Vivian wasn't known for her works in genetics, so I'm going to assume you're a robot of some kind."

"A Bebe. But, I'm different!" Jessie insisted.

The pale woman waved it off. "Jess, you don't have to convince me."

"But, I am different. I have thoughts, opinions, emotions, fears! I'm a person!" She was a person that was about to cry as tears welled up in her eyes. "If my ma thinks I'm a thing, what is Ryujin going to think? He'll think I'm some kind of tinker toy!"

"Calm down, Jess." Shego sighed. _When did I become a freaking den mother? And to a Bebe, of all things! Of course, she definitely seems like she's as alive as I am. Who am I to judge?_ "Look, you're a person like you said. No robot begs for their mother's life the way you did or cries when they think their mother disowned them like you did or panics over possibly losing a boyfriend like you. You obviously have your own opinions, which is why you didn't turn Shin over to Junior the first time you had a chance. You're a person and a _good_ person. You just need to let your ma see that, which means you should let them stay with you."

Jessie sniffled. "Are you sure that'll work?"

"There's that and I need you to keep an eye on them," Shego remarked, throwing a smile out there to help put Jessie at ease. The fact that she had to console the blond led her to believe that there was definitely more to Jessie than just being a robot. _Hell, she shows more emotions than fucking Shadow Hand_.

Jessie laughed, but if sounded like a sob. "You trust me to watch my mom and everything?"

"It's not like I'm asking you to spy on her or anything and I know you want her on our side. You care about Ryujin and I know you're not about to disappear into the night on him, even if it means escaping with your mom. Plus, you're smart. Is there a safer place on Earth for you and your mother than right here after she betrayed Junior by simply surrendering?"

Jessie sighed. "No. Not to mention, he's looking for any excuse to kill me since I stopped giving him relevant information a long time ago."

"Then I guess you better stay right here in the Emerald City, huh?"

"Yes. Um … thank you for everything. For trusting me and treating me like this. I want to help defeat the Emperor," Jessie declared.

Shego smiled. "We could use all the help we can get. But, for now, go get your moms and rest."

Jessie nodded and exited on that note. Shego sighed, despite the new information, she was still certain that she could trust Jessie because the teenager could have sold them out in many different ways, many times over, but she had not. Now, she could only hope that remained true. Of course, she had people monitoring Vivian just in case.

"Let me take my own advice. Go say goodnight to my munchkin and take a never-ending hot shower," Shego decided.

She planned her epic shower on the way to Shin's room and discovered it to be empty. Scratching her head, she went to Kim's room to find out where their daughter was. Knocking, she did not get a response.

"Princess? Princess, you in there?" Shego called and she cracked open one of French the doors. "Princess?"

"Momma, come in!" Shin said as she yanked open the door.

"What the? What're you doing in here, short stuff?" Shego asked curiously, looking around the room for Kim. She was nowhere in sight.

"I didn't wanna be alone," the child admitted in a mumble, gaze falling to her feet.

"Ah, Peewee." Shego picked her daughter up and held her. Shin wrapped her arms tightly around her momma.

"Stay with me until Mom gets out of the shower," Shin requested.

Shego's first instinct was to deny Shin and tell her daughter toughen up. But, that would have been appropriate for another time and probably another daughter. A time where she and Kim were not possibly running to their deaths every time an alarm sounded. And a daughter she had gotten a chance to raise from a baby and a daughter that had not been abused or basically alone in the world before Kim and Shego.

"Sure, kiddo. I can stay with you," Shego smiled. _Holding her is better than a million epic showers_.

Shin grinned and Shego sat down on one of the chairs that was set up by the large window. She guessed that Kim sat there with Shin, too, because there were storybooks littering the area. Wasting no time, she grabbed one and began reading. She barely noticed when Kim eased into the room.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," Kim commented with a soft smile.

"Huh? Just me?" Shego glanced down to see her audience was asleep. "Didn't think I was that boring," she joked.

"You can give her to me. I promised her that she could sleep in my bed tonight. She was crying when I tried to put her to bed in her room," the redhead explained.

Shego nodded. "Okay."

The older woman climbed to her feet, careful of waking their daughter. She eased Shin halfway into Kim's arms before the girl latched onto Shego's hair. Shego tried to get free, but found that Shin had a death grip on her.

"Don't go, Momma. I don't want you to leave us," Shin quietly pled.

Shego offend the child a sad smile. "I'll be right down the hall. I'm not leaving."

"Stay," Shin sniffled, holding onto the silky hair her grip a little tighter.

The ruler felt her eyes starting burn and she reached out to caress their daughter's arm. "I'm sorry, Peewee, but this is your mom's personal space …" She was not sure where she was going with that, but stopped so it would not sound like she was blaming Kim for anything.

"You can stay. I can stay," Shin pointed out.

"Kimmie," Shego begged for help.

"Stay," Kim replied. "She needs both of us and I don't mind."

Shego's mouth dropped open and she could not come up with a proper response. _Did she just invite me into her bed?_ Of course, it was not for anything sexual, but it was still huge.

"Shin, Momma's gonna go take a shower and then she's going to come back here and we're all going to sleep, okay?" Kim asked.

Shin sniffled a little more. "Okay," she mumbled. "But, I don't wanna go to bed until Momma comes back."

"Then it's settled." Kim turned back to Shego. "Go take a shower. We'll be waiting."

Shego was still dumbstruck and could only nod. She practically fled the room. She needed space and time to get her head together for sharing Kim's bed. _It's not that serious!_ … _Yes, it is_.

_So much for my epic shower_. She settled for a half-hour of hot water and panic. Her thoughts would not slow down enough for her to make sense of anything, so she was left with going with flow. After her mediocre shower, she found some clothes that she could lie down in without scarring her daughter for life.

"At least I don't sleep in the nude," she joked, trying to loosen herself up.

The joke did not work, but she went back to Kim's room anyway. The redhead was sitting where Shego had while waiting earlier and reading to Shin, who was completely awake. She looked up as soon as Shego was close.

"Ready for bed?" Kim asked with an almost elfish smile as she stood up with Shin in her arms.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Shego replied with an awkward laugh.

"Relax, Shego. Think of it like family time on the couch."

The pale woman only shrugged, unable to speak around the lump in her throat. Kim continued smiling and took Shego's hand, leading her over to the bed. She eased Shin over to Shego, so she could pull the covers back.

"Which side do you like?" Kim asked.

"Huh?" Shego replied, quite aware that she sounded like a moron.

"Do you have a favorite side?"

"Princess, I told you, I don't sleep. So, no, I don't have a favorite side. Sleep wherever you sleep."

The redhead did not argue and eased into the far end of the bed. Shego placed Shin next to her. Shego laid down and pulled the blankets over all of them. She was on the edge of the bed until Shin reached out for her.

"Momma," Shin implored.

Shego sighed and moved in closer. Eventually, she was snuggled close to her family. She felt small fingers clutching her wrist and then she felt a hand on her bicep. Emerald eyes locked with shining olive eyes.

"Relax. Get some sleep," Kim said, stroking Shego's arm.

"'Night, Mom and Momma," Shin yawned. Her eyes drifted shut and she was asleep just like that.

"She's exhausted," Shego said, reaching up to caress their child's cheek.

"She's been worried sick about us. She doesn't want to lose us," Kim replied.

"I don't want anything to happen to either of you," the older woman whispered.

"Same here. You're precious to me now, Shego. I want us to be able to have a relationship beyond friends and beyond co-parents. I want there to be an 'us' and I want us to go places," Kim replied.

Shego smiled. "I'd like that, Princess. I want all of that, too. I want us to be a real family. But for that, we need to stop Junior."

"Damn right," Kim remarked with a smile.

A dramatic gasp escaped Shego. "Why Kim Possible did you just cuss in front of our baby?"

Kim blushed. "I'm sorry. I'm just ready to take on Junior and have a life with you and Shin."

"And save whatever other clones he has. So, our family might grow."

"I don't mind."

Shego smiled. "Me neither."

"For that to happen, we need to rest, like you said. This way we think more clearly and come up with serious plans to bring down Junior."

The green-skinned woman nodded and watched as Kim drifted off to sleep. She looked from Kim to their daughter, similar peaceful expressions, and smiled at the sight. Amazingly enough, Shego drifted off to sleep for the first time in a long time, and did not have any nightmares filled with death, destruction, screams, and the fierce smell of war. Instead, she dreamed of those beautiful, loving faces and the soft, tender feelings that they both gave her.

-8-8-8-8-

Jessie's luck was not as good as Shego's. She practically had to drag her mothers to her apartment. Betty seemed completely happy with staying in the conference room with Vivian, but thankfully after a lot of pleading, her mom acquiesced. Betty followed Vivian, but they seemed more interested in each other than Jessie, neither of them saying anything to her and she had no clue how to start a conversation with them.

"Well, this is where I live," Jessie announced as they entered her home.

Betty and Vivian looked around, but showed no outward reactions to Jessie's rather girly apartment. She had a poster of kittens on the wall opposite a painting of flowers. The walls were a warm lilac color and a small, cream-colored sofa. There were flowers around and it smelled sweet.

"I doubt any of us sleep, but I do power down. I tend to just rest of the couch, so if you guys want the bed, you can have it. Now, I have to make a phone call," Jessie said.

"Who are you calling?" Vivian inquired.

"Ryujin, I want to make sure he's all right," Jessie answered almost absently. She found herself worrying more for the young ninja than about her mothers right now. She went to the kitchen to make the call.

"Hey, Jessie. I was waiting up for your call," Ryujin said, a smile in his voice.

"Sorry I didn't call you sooner. Are you all right? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Jessie asked, her voice small and concerned.

"No, it wasn't very a difficult battle. I hardly did anything at all. How was watching Shin?"

She laughed. "It's cute that you seem to think my babysitting is up there with your fighting for your life against a sociopath. Shin refused to go to sleep until her mothers came back. I read to her. She likes when I do voices and I like when she laughs."

"You're a good babysitter."

"I suppose. You should get some sleep. You need to be in top condition."

"I know. If nothing happens tomorrow, want to get some pizza after you finish work?"

She smiled. "Yes. Call me if you can to tell me what time."

"Sure." He yawned.

"Get some sleep."

"You too. Goodnight." She could feel his smile and warmth through the communication.

"Goodnight, Ryu," she practically cooed.

They disconnected the call and Jessie could not wipe the smile off of her face. She returned to her living room and to her mothers. They seemed just as lost as she did, which gave her a small comfort.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Vivian eventually asked.

"Yes, Mom, that was my boyfriend," Jessie replied, doing her best to not roll her eyes.

"Boyfriend?" Betty echoed incredulously. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Please, don't sound so shocked. Yes, I have a boyfriend. Well, I want him to be my boyfriend. I care about him and we always hang out. He even helped me paint the living room," Jessie answered with a small smile.

"I don't think I like the idea of you dating," Vivian said.

"Mom!" Jessie huffed. "I like him and he likes me!"

"You're barely seventeen!" Vivian objected.

"Does he know you're a robot?" Betty inquired.

Jessie's demeanor actually dropped, along with her shoulders and the smile that she had been sporting. "He doesn't …"

"Hey, you're more than a robot, Jess," Vivian spoke up, reaching out and rubbing her daughter's back.

Jessie shrugged away from her mother. She went to her bedroom despite telling her mothers that they could have it. She just wanted to be alone.

Vivian was about to follow her daughter, but instead she turned to Betty. "She's more than just a robot. She has feelings and you're trampling all over them. When she was growing up, I'd tell her all these amazing stories about you and she'd do everything in her power to learn more about you. She's alive, Betty, as alive as you or I, barely in a different form. You are a cyborg and at this point I practically am a Bebe."

"You're practically a Bebe?"

Vivian nodded. "Most of my body is a metal. Most of my brain is, in fact, downloaded and stored on a memory card. Betty, you have no idea how badly I was damaged, both mentally and physically. We have a second chance now, but I come with a daughter, a daughter you claimed to accept. If you accept her, please go and talk to her."

Betty stood there for a moment, staring at Vivian. She then turned and went to the bedroom. She was surprised to find Jessie curled up in her bed, clutching a stuffed animal that appeared to be a monkey dressed as a ninja. Betty sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"I'm not entirely sure what to do here. I've never been a mother and my experiences with my own mother leave a lot to be desired. But, I don't mean to be an ass. This is going to take a little adjustment, being the new mother of a teenager, but I will try. I'm sorry for the robot thing. It'll just take some getting used to that you're different," Betty tried to explain.

"You're different, too," Jessie pointed out.

"Yes, I know. I'm just used to being the only different one. Can you give me time?" Betty requested.

Jessie smiled a little. "If you don't look at me like I'm a thing."

"You got a deal, Jessie." And Betty smiled, really smiled.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior stood on a balcony in his bedroom. He swirled some aged scotch in a glass and looked out at the desolate land that he reigned over. There were small villages out there, people to bow to him, but also that hoped for the Savior to show up, always hoped that the Legend would rise again.

"They all will bow to me as the new God once I crush their false messiahs," Junior muttered before empty his glass down his throat.

Turning, he went back into the room and for a moment he missed his wife. But, for now, he had a new toy. He needed to teach her that the worse thing on Earth was to disappoint him. It helped that she looked like the bane of his existence.

"Now, your lessons will begin," he informed Kigo-one, who was outfitted with a collar that blocked her powers. He smirked and then she screamed and she would keep screaming until he grew tired of the sound.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: preparations for battle on both sides.


	52. 5:3: Ready for war

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.3: Ready for war

The sun was out and shining, but for four women that did not matter. Shego's order for the day to be a day of rest also did not matter. Joss, Bonnie, Monique, and Tara went to the Basement to practice in their Paladins. Tatsu was down there, working as usual. She was not surprised to see the other ladies, even though it was supposed to be an official holiday.

"Hey, Tatsu," Joss greeted the mechanic, who merely waved in return.

"We can use the Paladins, right?" Bonnie asked to be sure.

"They're yours," Tatsu replied with a shrug.

"Don't sound so enthused," Joss teased her cousin's wife.

Tatsu gave Joss the finger and turned her attention to a less annoying person. "Bonnie, by now you know how the Hanger works. You can set it all up with out me, right?"

Bonnie nodded. "I can handle it," she said with a confidence she now felt. It was definitely a boost to her to able to handle the Qin so well that she helped ruin Junior's empire just a little bit.

"Well, then lead everybody through the practice then. Oh, Monique, I made that adjustment for you with your leg," Tatsu said.

"Thanks for that, Tatsu," Monique replied. They had to make a couple of changes to her suit because she was missing her leg.

"You know, Amy and Trin have made a lot of headway in growing back limbs. You could always just get the leg back," Joss informed the former soldier.

Monique shook her head. "I've already talked to them about that and it'll be good for after the war. I don't have time to learn how to use a new leg, though. I work better right now with my prosthetic, even if it's a crude piece of junk."

"What about at least getting a new prosthetic? That one looks like it was made from wood and glue," Tatsu noted with a grimace. They could all imagine the pain that Monique had to feel constantly from the shoddy limb. Back when she lost the leg, Monique had not stuck around to get a decent prosthetic. All she wanted to do was get away from all of the blood, gore, and battle.

"I'm fine," Monique insisted. "I want this just as badly as you all do. Don't worry about my leg and don't worry about my mental state. I'm all in this if this is really the end."

"It is the end," Joss and Bonnie both vowed. Monique nodded and that ended the discussion.

"Is Kim going to join us?" Tara asked curiously as they made their way to their Paladins.

"Kim is probably with Shin, her daughter. She'll probably practice with us later, but she won't do it as much," Bonnie explained.

"Daughter?" Monique asked.

"It's a long story. She still hasn't explained much of it beyond saying Drakken did something. Just so you know, Shego is the other parent. Drakken obviously did something crazy," Joss replied.

Monique and Tara accepted that with the hope that they would get a better explanation later, hopefully from Kim. Everyone secured themselves in their suits and went to the Hanger. Bonnie set up a simulation from a recent battle, even though she knew that fighting Bebes might be a thing of the past. Still, they all needed to get better acquainted with their Paladins.

"You sure are good at this, Bonnie," Joss complimented the tanned woman as the battle began.

"We've got a lot of practice at this, haven't we, Qin?" Bonnie said. She had slept on a cot next to her Paladin more often than not since getting the machine.

"Yes, now we need more chances to use our skills on real battlefields," the Qin declared.

"Help us get to that point, Bonnie," Tara requested.

"Yes, Bonnie, Qin, teach us to work together," Tara's suit, called the Zulu, chimed in. The Paladin was silver and white, and of course ready to fight.

"We'll all get there and then we'll take down that bastard Junior!" Bonnie proclaimed with a grin.

Everyone cheered that, even the Paladins. Of course, it was easier said than done. Tara was not a warrior by far, but Bonnie was not either, so she was confident that Tara would get it. During the simulation, Tara was "shot" and "destroyed" more than anyone else.

Monique was not far behind, despite being a former soldier. She had to adjust her movement in her suit since was accustomed to moving on one leg, but the Paladin had two. But, her Paladin, known as the Celt, was surprisingly supportive.

"We should shift our weight slightly to remain on balance," the Celt told Monique as she tried to avoid falling over.

Monique smiled, happy that the Celt was able to talk her through being an operator. The suits seemed very interested in taking Junior down, the same as Monique. She was once a soldier of the war, but it broke her by breaking her body. The suit gave her a new body of sorts and new vigor to fight in the war, to end the war, and give people back their lives as the Celt gave her back her sense of purpose.

"We will prevail," the Celt assured her.

"I know we will. That's why we need to practice and get to know each other inside out," Monique said.

"We have to work together," Tara chimed in.

"Then we have to get in sync," Bonnie replied.

"And we need to get our team leader in here with us," Joss remarked with a laugh. She knew that her cousin would balk at being called their team leader.

"We do need to all be together," the Comanche agreed with its operator.

"Couldn't one of you call Kim to come and work with us?" Monique suggested to Bonnie or Joss as they continued through another simulation.

"Shego's going to want to know where she's going if they're together and Shin is going to want to know, too" Joss pointed out.

"Not to mention, Shin deserves her mother's attention just as much as we do and we'll probably get Kim after everything is decided tomorrow," Bonnie informed them. "They'll have to figure out where Shin will go."

"What do other people do with their kids?" Tara asked curiously.

Joss chuckled. "Nobody else has small children. Nobody in the Elect has had kids to have this problem. We've all been focused on this war."

"Tara, do you have children?" Bonnie inquired. She had not gotten a chance to really converse with the blond thanks to everything that was happening. She supposed when she, Tara, and Monique move into the apartment that Wade provided for them, things would change unless Junior kept attacking. "Back when we were in high school, I always figured you'd be the one to get married young and have about three kids and be a soccer mom."

The blond laughed a bit; it was hollow, almost sorrowful. "Once upon a time, I would've loved that. But, I haven't been able to live that dream. I was on my way another life ago. I had a son, but he was killed in one of the earthquakes."

"I'm sorry," the other women all said simultaneously.

"Don't be. Most days, I'm happy he didn't live to see this. Often, I consider that he probably would've been killed by something else in this hellish world. I've been trying to take care of war orphans, but I lose many of them to attacks, disease, starvation, and other problems that come along with the war. It's a never-ending cycle, it seems," Tara sighed.

"Who's watching them now?" Joss asked.

"Shego moved them to housing in Isabella and has a few matrons looking after them. It was the only way I would agree to come here. I didn't know she wanted me to act as a soldier, especially in such an important force, but I'm happy to be a part of this in such a big way," Tara replied.

"We will make this world free and those children safe," the Zulu proclaimed, hyping up its operator. "So, we must have to learn to move as one, Tara. We have to be ready to remove Junior."

"You're right!" Tara shouted and she pushed forward through the simulation. The other ladies did the same. They would be ready to take on Junior. They would help end the Hell that they had all lived through for a quarter of a century.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim considered going to the Basement, but the Toltec had not contacted her and seeing Shin's smiling face was enough to stop her. She could not leave the child again, not after the way that they left her yesterday. Besides, Shin had requested that they spend the day together.

"First, let's make breakfast together," Shin proclaimed, leaping out of her mom's bed. Her mothers barely had time to wipe the sleep out of their eyes.

"She gets her energy from you," Shego complained, rubbing her eyes. She blinked several times to help her focus.

Kim yawned. "But, she gets her desire to cook from you," she countered as she sat up. The sound of groggy snickers forced her to look at Shego. "And just what are you laughing at?"

"Your bed head, Princess. Newton must be spinning in his grave the way your head is defying gravity," the western ruler joked.

Kim stuck her tongue out at Shego and tried to pat down her hair, which she knew would not cut it. Shin padded back over to them, jumping on the bed and demanding their attention. They chuckled and turned to her.

"Yes, Miss Shin?" Shego asked as a joke.

"Come on, Momma, Mom! Let's go make breakfast and watch cartoons!" Shin implored with wide emerald eyes.

Kim smiled softly. "Give us a minute, baby. We need time to wake up fully and you need to go wash your face."

Shin yelped, as if she had been scolded. She rushed to the bathroom while Kim and Shego turned to each other. They smiled at each other.

"You know, you're something else, Princess. I hadn't slept in years and I lie down with you and the little bit and I'm out within seconds. Thank you for that," Shego said.

Kim leaned over and gave Shego a sweet, but simple peck on the lips. "Don't mention it. It's good that you're at peace enough to get some sleep and trust us enough to sleep with us by you."

"I trust you with my life, Princess." That response earned her another little kiss.

"Let's start cooking!" Shin shouted as she rushed back into the room with a freshly washed face and hastily brushed teeth.

The parents laughed and decided to stop fighting it. They went to the kitchen, all still clad in their pajamas. Shin decided that they were making French toast before anyone could ask. It was her favorite food and her specialty in breakfast foods.

"What should I do?" Kim asked

"Crack these eggs and pay attention, so you can feed the little bit if I'm not around," Shego replied while handing the redhead the eggs.

They cooked breakfast and ate it as a family unit. They then curled up together on the couch and watched cartoons for a little while. After that, they spent sometime reading, making sure Shin practiced and learned something while spending time together.

-8-8-8-8-

Jessie sat on a bench across from her ma and the Possible twins. She was not sure why she had followed Betty, but left Vivian in her apartment. Surely, if one of them would cause a problem, it would be her mom, the engineer behind Junior's deadly army. But, she trusted her mother and she still was not sure what to make of Betty.

"Hey, Jess," Ryujin said as he eased down next to her.

"Hey, Ryu. What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

He chuckled. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I was just curious about what the Rebels were doing and then I saw you. Are you watching them?"

She nodded. "Just in case. The Savior asked me to keep an eye on Betty Director. I don't think they're doing anything bad." She could hear the whole conversation as if she were right in the thick of things, but she could not tell him that because that meant that she would have to explain why her hearing was so good.

"They not bad people. The twins are actually my uncles."

She gave him a wide-eyed look. "Really?" While she knew they were Kim's brothers, she was unaware that they accepted Ryujin as a nephew as Kim did.

"Oh, yeah. They're good guys, but they just couldn't take losing their parents. It hurts a lot when your parents die, especially in a senseless war."

Jessie nodded and wished that she could share with him. Tell him how Betty Director was her mother and how she thought she had lost her ma to the senseless war, but again, she would have to explain everything to him or lie. She would rather lie by omission than to tell a bunch of stories and string him along.

"Hey, Ryujin, you spying on us," Tim called as a joke. "Or are you on a date?"

Ryujin went red instantly, blushing all the way up to his ears. "It's not a date and I'm not spying! No self-respecting Shadow Hand ninja would sit out in the open fifteen feet away from his targets."

Tim chuckled. "So, it's a date then?"

Lacking a better comeback, Ryujin puffed out his cheeks. "What are you talking about, anyway?"

"We're not gonna tell you!" Jim huffed.

Tim glared at his twin. "Calm down. It's just Ryujin, man. You're seriously interested in alienating every decent human being on the planet?" Tim then turned back to the blond ninja. "It's nothing. Just trying to figure out what we're going to say and do tomorrow."

Ryujin shrugged; that was more than enough for him. Tim turned back to Doctor Director and his brother. Jim's face looked like he had been sucking on a lemon.

"What? We're in a fucking public park. It's not exactly a top secret location," Tim pointed out with a scowl. "Stop acting like a fucking moron all the time. You're lucky they're even still letting you into meeting."

"They don't let me do anything," Jim growled. "I don't follow that bitch."

"Which one? Shego or your sister?" Tim said and Jim actually flinched.

"Let's focus, gentleman. What are we to do?" Betty inquired.

"Why is this an issue? We took out the Hive. Let's get out of here," Jim proclaimed.

Tim sighed and decided to just ignore his brother now on a professional level as well as a personal one. "I think we need to stay. Shego's ready to do something big and we can and should help. This could be the end of the war."

Jim regarded his double as if he were insane. "Are you kidding me? Take off the rose-tinted glasses, dude. How many times have we thought the end was near? How many times has Shego thought she had Junior's number? It's never going to end!" he huffed.

Tim's mouth dropped open, but he was unable to speak. Betty did it for him. "Jim, if you're going to take that attitude, then, yes, the war isn't going to end, unless Junior wins. When did you turn into a defeatist?" she demanded.

"I'm not!" he insisted.

"Then don't ever say anything like that or I promise I'll make you regret," Tim growled. "You dishonor the memory of everyone who died fighting that monster, including our own parents and uncle. We should stay, see what Shego has to offer, and see what the next battle holds before deciding if we should go back to doing what we do."

"That sounds reasonable," Betty agreed.

"What?" Jim screamed, his face turning bright read. "How the hell could that sound reasonable? We're allying ourselves with Shego to be her Bebe fodder?"

Both Betty and Tim glared at him, but the twin was the one that spoke. "I think the last two battles have proven that she's not going to do that. She's not trying to command us and she's not selling us out. They've got new and powerful weapons on this side. They destroyed Junior's army for the most part. They're on the edge and we might be the push they need," Tim stated.

"So, now we're joining Shego again?" Jim hissed.

"No, we're lending her our power to help take down some of the greatest evil beings on Earth. This could be the end and it would be irresponsible for us to stand by and watch from the sidelines," Doctor Director argued.

"We'd be hypocrites, too. We claim to be fighting to help people and we'd just sit out while Shego and everybody else fought? Fuck that," Tim proclaimed.

"This could be it, Jim. There's a bus coming and we're either going to be on it or under it, but we won't miss it," Betty declared.

"And I refuse to be run over," Tim added in a steely tone. "Leave if you want because you're an asshole, but I'm staying to help Shego."

Jim flinched briefly before he flared his nostrils and scowled. "Fine, if this is what you want to do, even though it might be the ruin of us. What if we lose?"

"And what if we win?" Tim countered, making a fist. "What if we finally stop Junior and we get our lives back and the world can finally heal?"

Jim did not have an answer for that. His silence let them know that he finally understood. They needed to do this and they needed to win.

-8-8-8-8-

The Elect, including the new Paladin pilots, and Rebel leaders all met up in a large conference room. Shin was left with Jessie as usual, so Shego and Kim did not have to worry about their daughter. Shego looked over at the Rebels and she felt confident because Jim looked as sour as always.

"So, what are we doing people?" Shego asked, looking at the Rebels.

"You have us at your side for now, but understand that we are our own unit and not an extension of your army," Doctor Director stated clearly.

"Not part of our army, but you'll undoubtedly want our weapons, medical attention, and supplies while our soldiers have to wonder if you'll have their backs," Shadow Hand pointed out, his tone disapproving.

"We will have your backs. We want Junior gone as much as you do," Tim reminded them.

"Yeah, but you want Shego gone almost as badly," Wade countered.

"Once Junior's gone and you've seen all our toys, then you assassinate our leader for someone you think is better suited to lead the world?" Trin asked calmly.

Joss scoffed. "It doesn't even matter. We wouldn't let them do that and if they get past us, ain't no way they're taking on Shego and walking away from that alive."

"Probably right about that," Tim conceded with a forced laugh. "But, we're not planning to assassinate Shego. We're here for now. So, tell us what you have planned and what we can do. Let this be the moment that history remembers as the beginning of the end for Junior."

"Then let's get to it then. Let's go over what we have, what we're working on, what we need, and where we need to attack," Shego declared. Her own people regarded her oddly for a moment, and she knew it was from the idea of working with the Rebels, but then Wade turned on the monitor to go through everything that Shego ran off.

Everyone paid close attention, needing all the information that they could to figure out what do against Junior. The Rebels were surprised by all of the things Shego's side had and what they were working on. The Elect were just working on how it all fit together. Then, there was also trying to figure out where to strike.

"All right, people, what do we got?" Shego inquired after Wade flipped through everything that they needed to see.

"We need more missiles and a longer range," Trin conceded as soon as the images were off.

"Well, that's you and the non-cute Shin's domain. How much time do you need to improve them?" Shego asked with an arched eyebrow.

Shin let out a long breath. "A couple of weeks to improve the range. More are always coming and I'm plenty cute." Eyes rolled at that.

"Take whatever resources you need. Those missiles are going to be the things that bring Junior down to our level. We have to ground his stupid citadel and then go in there to beat the breaks off of him," Shego said.

"We got it," Shin proclaimed with a shrug.

"Should you sound so confident?" Doctor Director asked the young ninja. Shin snorted and waved her off.

"Shin would sound confident if we asked him to jump to the moon," Wade said, shaking his head.

"Back on track, what else?" Shego said.

"Kim, we need you practicing with us in the Paladins. We all need to be on the same page and apparently we're your team," Joss informed her cousin.

Kim nodded. "Understood, but when did you become my team?" She looked at the four other pilots, who did not object to the idea that she was the team leader.

"They're your team, cupcake. Deal with it," Shego said. "Start coming up with attack formations and shit like that and keep me posted, so everyone can stay on the same page."

Olive eyes rolled and Kim snorted, but she did not argue that. Instead, she looked at her newly appointed team and gave them another nod. They all smiled and Joss even gave her a thumb's up.

"Next thing," Shego asked.

"We need to do something about Try-Acid. There has to be a way to stop him. I mean, he can challenge us in the Paladins and everything," Joss said.

"He's not a huge problem as long as we can keep him busy and in front of us because it's not like he's an army alone, but chemists, get on it. Do something about the guy, so he doesn't stand in our way," Shego ordered.

Shin and Trin scoffed and rolled their eyes. They had tried many times to figure out how to dissolve Try- Acid only to fail on some level. They could not figure out exactly how Drakken had put him together or what made him move or what he was made of or anything important really.

"What do you think Junior will fight with now?" Tim asked.

"We shouldn't count the Bebes out. Drakken originally created them," Shego reminded everyone.

"He was probably foaming at the mouth to get them back, but will he be able to do anything with them?" Kim wondered aloud.

Wade made a noise. "That'll be easier to deal with than Vivian's Bebes. Robots were never really his forte. Drakken still only get lucky once in a blue moon with his inventions. The only difference now is that his inventions are more deadly and he kills scores of people before we can figure out how to stop him."

"Well, can we not let him kill scores of people?" Kim requested.

"We'll try, but it's hard when Junior attacks out of the blue and always has some new toy that we haven't seen before," Wade replied.

"Well, are we attacking this time around?" Betty inquired. "You seem to have the weapons in the works for it."

Shego scratched her chin. "We could go on the offensive, but we have to pick the perfect place to attack and be ready for a full on war before Junior isn't going to sit still if we go inside New Rome. We've already seen that."

"We have to have our shit together for this," Bonnie said with a smile.

"Really together," Joss agreed, smiling too. They were clearly itching to walk into Neo Roma and destroy all of Junior's hopes and dreams.

"Then why the hell did you attack the Hive if you weren't ready for a full on war?" Jim inquired incredulously, throwing his hands up.

"Because we can't sit around with our thumbs up our collective asses and just wait for Junior to attack us all the time, especially when we have the tech to stop a huge chunk of his war machine," Shego answered, feeling it was obvious.

"It was also a test to see if our tech could hold up against Junior's army and defenses," DNAmy chimed in.

"We're getting off track," Kim reminded everyone. They silently agreed and went back to the important matters of what they needed to fight against Junior.

At the end of the meeting, Betty requested a moment alone with Shego. Kim went off with her team to practice. The Possible twins went their separate ways, even though Jim tried to follow Tim. Jim sort of withered under his brother's cold shoulder. Everyone else went to work, doing what they needed to do in order to be ready to go on the offensive. They all hoped that they got everything together before Junior decided to attack them. If they could get the jump on Junior, they were certain that they could win.

"So, what's up, Doc?" Shego asked once the room was clear.

"What would you say if I had a man or two on the inside?" Betty inquired.

Shego's jaw tensed a bit. "It depends on the man or men and what you intend to do with them."

"I don't want to tip my hand prematurely to you and especially not to Junior. Because once they're out, that's it. Besides, one of them will really need to see that we can win before he really flips," Betty explained.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"The last couple of battles, we've shown that Junior isn't invincible. Maybe it's time."

Shego shrugged. "If you feel it's time. They're your men on the inside. But, let's wait and see if we can develop everything we need before you tip your hand. No reason to throw away that advantage if we're not prepared."

Betty chuckled. "You are pretty good at this."

"You have men on the inside, so you're not so bad yourself."

-8-8-8-8-

Junior sat with Doctor Drakken and Jack Hench before him. They were running through all of the things that they had prepared for the counterstrike against Shego. They had done it quite quickly, too, but they did have tons of people working for them.

"What have we done with the clones?" Junior demanded.

"We've managed to grow up two dozen clones and digitize their brains, so they're ready for the fight with upgraded armor," Hench stated and he used the monitor to show the clones and their skills, making sure that they used their powers, so Junior could see that they did not get sick like Kigo-one. He also showed that they followed orders blindly and did not get emotional.

Drakken was not to be out done and quickly started talking about the Bebes. "It was easy to get the Bebes back online once we gathered them all up. I told you we don't need Doctor Porter. I'm sure I could've fixed the clones, too, if you let me work on my own projects," he huffed.

Junior sighed. "Drakken, I have no patience for your whining. Show me the damned Bebes."

Drakken frowned, but did as ordered. "After gathering all of the Bebes, I simply replaced their internal hardware with some of my own and downloaded new software. They are as good as new with new weapons."

Junior was somewhat skeptical. "Show me."

Drakken wasted no time changing the images on the monitor to his footage, showing the robots in action. The Bebes appeared ready. They followed commands, moved as always, and flashed a series of new weapons. Hench chimed in with weapons from his own teams.

Junior nodded. "Then it's time to wipe Shego's forces off the face of the Earth."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: battle time!


	53. 5:4: Battle cry

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.4: Battle cry

"Guys, you have to move faster than that!" Kim called to her team as they ran through a simulation. The fight that they were working through included battling against Try-Acid and Hyperion. Kim also ran them through her training regime, having them fight against the holograms of the Elect.

"Faster than that?" Monique let loose an exhausted sigh.

"This is worse than cheer practice," Tara commented through a series of pants.

"It should be! This is war!" Bonnie reminded the two newcomers. "We have to be ready and we have to take Junior down!" Of course, she was wiped out, too. Kim ran a tight ship and was putting them through the ringer with her practices.

"So, you have to be faster! All of us have to be faster and stronger! Paladins included," Kim said.

"Hey, we're working hard!" the Celt argued.

"Work harder and smarter!" the Toltec declared.

"Let's go through this again," Kim ordered and she started a new simulation.

The hero rarely allowed them to run through the same simulation twice because war was not predictable and it was not likely that they would see the same thing twice, especially since Vivian was out of the war and the Bebes, if they were there, would not be the same. Every now and then she would rerun a battle to see what they remembered from the first time. More often than not, she combined battles to see how they would react.

She also treated their practices like a job. They worked for at least eight hours with a lunch break in between; she used the time to visit her family while they used it to eat as much as possible to stop feeling completely drained. They were expected to carry ration bars and drinks on their persons to make sure they kept their energy up.

"Come on, I know you're better than this! The Paladins wouldn't have accepted you if you weren't ready for this! And, Paladins, you wouldn't have woken up if you weren't ready for this! We can do this!" Kim declared.

Tara was always the first one to go down the simulation, but she was coming along and lasted much longer than she had when they first started practicing. Her reflexes were improving and her eyes were becoming keener, sharper. She worked well with the Zulu, being polite and respectful. Her personality made the Zulu the most polite Paladin amongst them. They typically were the first down in simulations because they were the first to take a shot for someone else. Kim had already figured that they would work well as support, providing cover for ground troops.

Monique seemed to be getting back into her soldier mindset, but she needed to get back in shape for it. Her body needed to be reconditioned, even though she was in a Paladin. She clearly wanted it badly, though, continuing to push herself despite her complaints. She had actually made herself sick the first couple of practices under Kim.

The Celt pushed just as hard as Monique. Sometimes, the suit got caught up in trying to react before things came, getting ahead of itself. But, that worked out well because Monique often had to correct the Celt as much as it corrected her. They were able to get on the same page with each other quickly and learn to depend on each other. Once they got their acts together completely, Kim knew that they would be a force to be reckoned with.

Bonnie and Joss were doing well with their Paladins. Bonnie had put herself in a support role, watching Kim's and Joss' backs. She did it well, so Kim made sure Bonnie knew to keep that up, even though Kim considered teaming Bonnie up with Monique. She would have to see how things played out. She and Joss might need Bonnie to watch their backs with the way that they fought. Kim and Joss were the most aggressive of the group and the Comanche was possibly the most aggressive Paladin, but Joss handled it like she was born to pilot the Paladin.

"Keep moving! Tara, act as Monique's spotter! Watch out for each other. We're a team," Kim barked. Once they moved as a team, she came up with formations and tactics. "Come on, guys! Keep it together!"

"We got this! Just stay together!" Joss chimed in, figuring out Kim was trying to be encouraging.

"We can make it through this simulation!" Bonnie joined in.

"Yeah, no problem!" the Qin agreed.

The team kept pushing and they eventually made it through a simulation with no casualties amongst them. They celebrated for a while, but not long. Kim kept pushing them. They had to make it through more simulations and keep it up.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior believed that his army was back to its former glory. Perhaps better with the clones and their armor since they only added to the Bebes, which were up and running. Drakken had also been able create more Bebes. Now, the Emperor wanted to act before Shego dared to go on the offensive again.

"Time to teach you a lesson, Shego. I'll show you an army that you could never expect or even think to deal with," Junior declared. "I'm through fucking around."

Junior decided on a head-on attack. He was going to take Isabella, the capital of Shego's country and he would take Shego. He would rule the world. _Everyone will bow down to me as Emperor!_

-8-8-8-8-

The alarm blaring was not surprising, but the fact that they had knocked Junior so off balance by taking out the Hive that he would counter by sending forces directly toward Isabella was beyond surprising. Shego's troops acted automatically, going exactly where they were supposed to, where they had drafted to go as they had been anticipating Junior attacking before they had a chance. They would not let Junior make it to the capital.

"Everybody, make sure you keep it together. Don't freak out, no matter what the fuck Junior has. He's panicking, that's why he's attacking us here. He's making a mistake," Shego informed her forces through her Kimmunicator. "He blinked on this one and that's the truth. We've got him. We've got him."

"Let's go throw a monkey wrench in whatever the hell Junior thinks he's doing," Kim called to her team. They were going out in the Paladins automatically. They were going to be the first line of defense.

"Let's do this!" Joss cheered.

"Just don't shout yee-haw," Monique commented dryly.

"Stay focused. You guys are ready for this!" Kim assured them.

"Damn right we are!" the Celt concurred.

The Paladin team intercepted Junior's forces a few miles from Isabella. They all could not help muttering "whoa." In the sky, there was a swarm of Bebes. In that mix, there were planes that Kim suspected were clones. It was almost like a Biblical plague was upon them.

"Toltec, run a scan on the Bebes and on the planes and relay that information to everyone as soon as you can. Get us weaknesses for everything that you can," Kim ordered.

"On it," the Toltec replied.

"I'm on it with the aerial troops," Joss chimed in.

"Good. Bonnie, Monique, Tara, divide the ground forces as best you can and delay them. Joss, you and I got the air," Kim commanded.

Everyone followed orders with no discussion. Bonnie, Monique, and Tara drew their guns and rained down shots on the marching forces, wanting to scatter them. The Possible cousins charged into the swarm.

"Joss, be careful of the planes! Drakken made clones of me and Shego and those are probably the clones," Kim warned her cousin.

"Clones? You mean those are Shin in there?" Joss asked incredulously.

"Maybe."

"Shit, fucking Drakken, man!" Joss growled. It would be hard to fight and impossible to kill Junior's new soldiers if they were her cousins. All she could see were flashes of Shin as she went to shoot the planes down. "What happened to just using goddamn robots and crazy science experiments that have nothing to do with us?!"

Joss and Kim opened fire toward the swarm, easily taking down Bebes because there were so many. They actually put their guns away to conserve ammo and decided to use their secondary weapons. Kim swung her energy poleaxe while Joss handled her knives through the Bebes. Soon, they were completely covered in the robots.

"Missiles?" the Toltec suggested as the Bebe cloud was so thick its sensors could barely make anything out.

"Good idea," Kim agreed.

The Toltec and the Comanche both let a couple of missiles fly to clear the air. They blew away some Bebes, only for more to get back in their faces. The great thing about it was that there were too many Bebes packed in too tightly for them to do anything beyond get cut down. Kim and Joss moved, so that they were back to back to watch out for each other.

"It's fucking endless!" Joss groaned as she sliced through dozens of robots.

"How the hell did Junior manage to put so much together in such a short time period? How does he have the damn resources to do this?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Their response time isn't the same as the other Bebes," the Toltec pointed out.

"Well, we can't take advantage of that until we get their numbers down," the Comanche replied.

They were not sure how long it would take to get the numbers down, but they fought on. Kim made sure to check on the rest of their team, in case they needed help. Bonnie, Monique, and Tara were pretty much doing the sane thing as Kim and Joss.

"When does this ever end?" Tara wondered as she cut down rows of Bebes. "Where's everybody else?"

"Just hold on, Tara. The rest of the army will be here soon," Bonnie assured her.

"The rest of the army is here now!" Shadow Eyes proclaimed as she seemed to appear out of nowhere with the Shadow Hand ninjas rushing onto the battlefield and going right at the Bebes.

"Good job at holding them off!" Ryujin complimented the Paladins and their pilots.

"Keep supporting the ninjas," Kim commanded her squad.

"Sure you don't need the help up above?" Bonnie asked, taking a glance at the aerial assault. Because of the scarce resources, the Paladins were pretty much it for Shego's side as far as aircraft went, so Bonnie did not want Kim and Joss to be overwhelmed.

"Amy's been working on more flying beasts just for this type of battle. They should be here any second," Kim answered.

"They're headed this way and should arrive in under a minute," the Toltec reported.

"All right. Let's take as many of these suckers out as we can, so we don't lose a bunch of critters!" Joss crowed.

Amy's animals did show up shortly after. They tore through anything that moved, except for Kim and Joss. The Bebes tore right back. More animals joined the land battle, including their mistress. Amy usually just commanded the animals when she was on the battlefield, but so close to home, every soldier counted.

"Trying to invade us? Big mistake!" DNAmy roared as she transformed into a huge dragon. Thanks to her suit, she could morph into any animal her mind came up with and she was going to show Junior how creative she could be.

Dragon-Amy whipped out her tail and toppled lines of Bebes. The robots opened fire on her and she laughed as the small lasers burned her thick hide. She took out any enemy within the range of her over fifty-foot long body. She noticed too late that a few Bebes in the distance were charging larger weapons and there was no way that she would be able to move in time. She actually closed her eyes, not wanting to see the shot that killed her. Instead of dying, she heard an explosion, but did not feel any pain. She opened her eyes to smoke coming off of her husband's hands.

Wade smiled at his wife. "My shield works. Maybe you'd like to have one?"

"Oh, thank you, sugar bear," Amy cooed as she changed back into her human form.

He quickly attached a device to her wrist. "Be more careful, babe. We still have to have kids some day."

"Don't worry about kids while we still need to keep our home," she pointed out.

Wade nodded in agreement and charged off to go study the Bebes while fighting them. He was getting information feeds from the Paladins as they scanned and fought the Bebes, but he needed to see things for himself. He was certain that because Drakken had created them so hastily, then they had to have a weakness that he could exploit.

"Trin, non-cute Shin, have you figured anything out about these Bebes?" Wade asked over his Kimmunicator.

"Bebes?" Shin echoed. "We'd kill for some fucking Bebes!"

"We're surrounded by clones, I'm guessing," Trin replied dryly.

"Oh? What was your first clue, the fucking plasma? Could you be anymore blond?" Shin snapped.

Wade left the pair to their own terror and hoped Trin did not kill Shin with the enemy. Trin was actually having trouble with the killing part. They surrounded by five people wielding plasma and covered in thick armor that had nasty surprises of its own. She was certain they were like her niece Shin, so that made them her nieces, her family.

"I can't …" Trin whispered in disbelief. She could not kill their enemies. She could not kill Kim's blood. She fought them, but even that was half-assed because of who they were. One hit her hard enough to drop her to the dirt and draw blood from her lip. "But, I don't have to kill them to stop them," she remembered with a growl.

"This shit is crazy!" Shin proclaimed as he tried to beat back a couple of clones.

"Don't they seem to be big compared to the cute Shin?" Trin mused aloud as she launched her counterattack, pushing back a pair with a powerful swing of her sword.

"Yeah," her evil twin agreed. "Me thinks something is rotten in the state of Neo Roma."

Trin could not argue that and wondered what Junior was up to now. Of course, she did not have long to contemplate it as she had to fend off clones. Things only got worse as Bebes landed to join the fight.

"Fuck," they both sighed.

-8-8-8-8-

Shadow Hand was the first to find out that they were not just fighting Bebes and clones. He stayed close to Shego, but noticed Hyperion approaching the section of the battlefield with his ninjas. Hyperion wasted no time setting the field ablaze.

"Go get him! I'll be fine," Shego ordered as she noticed Hyperion.

Shadow Hand did not object, knowing that Shego was waiting for her "rival." He charged off to take on Hyperion. Junior's general of fire and ice did not see the master ninja coming and was caught completely by surprise when Shadow Hand hit him. Hyperion skidded through the dirt before focusing on the martial arts' master and growing.

"How could an insect like you hit me?" Hyperion demanded.

"Your fire and ice mix means very little to my style," Shadow Hand replied before jumping at Hyperion and coming down on him with a strong punch.

Hyperion threw up his right hand, forming an ice shield to block the fist aimed at his head. There seemed to be a light blue mist that came off of the ninja's fist as the blow landed and took ice chips off of the shield. Shadow Hand landed and moved right into kick – at Hyperion's flaming side nonetheless. Hyperion gasped as the blow landed and caused him to buckle slightly. Growling, the super-powered general pushed against Shadow Hand to put space between them. He then let loose a column of blazing fire that engulfed the ninja.

Shadow Hand surprised him by charging out of the fire with his sword in hand. The blade crashed against solid ice and Hyperion flung the ninja back. There was more fire, which Shadow Hand cut through with his weapon. He then blocked and dodged several ice daggers that Hyperion let fly from his forearm.

Hyperion saw a chance to get the drop on Shadow Hand and charged at the ninja. He tried to slam the martial artist with a massive block of ice, but Shadow Hand cut through it with one swift motion of his sword. Hyperion came over the top with another column of fire. Shadow Hand ducked.

"Give it up, ninja. You know you can't beat me," Hyperion said.

"I haven't yet, but I'll keep on going. Besides, you can't beat me," Shadow Hand pointed out. History had proven on several occasions that they would fight to a stalemate.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was fighting off Bebes and a couple of clones that wandered into her battle area. She was careful of the clones for the same reasons as everyone else. There was something different about the new clones and she could tell from just the way they moved that they were not Kigo-one. They did not speak either; they just attacked. Something was wrong.

"What the hell is going on and where the hell is that kid?" Shego muttered with a frown. "If Junior did something to her, I'll fucking yank his spine out of his goddamn back piece by fucking piece."

Just as she was planning Junior's demise, Kigo-one showed, all gung-ho. She rammed the western ruler head on while Shego was dealing with several Bebes. Shego grunted upon impact and coughed as Kigo-one pushed against her.

"I'll kill you!" Kigo-one howled with more passion and venom than she had used before.

"I feel like this about more than just me being the original fire starter?" Shego remarked as she got her footing under her to push back against the screaming clone.

"You're not the original! I was the first! I _am_ the first, so I am the best! I'm the most powerful because I survived and you'll die!" Kigo-one hollered.

Shego was not sure what she could do to reach the clone. She did not want to mention Shin (the cute one) in case Junior was listening to the battle for whatever reason. She could not risk him finding out what her daughter was. But, in at least a biological sense Kigo-one was her daughter, too, and she would like a chance to bond with Kigo-one just like Shin.

"Stop fighting me and just listen," Shego huffed.

"Never!" Kigo-one slashed at her with plasma-charged hands.

Shego threw up her hands to block. "Fucking stubborn brat!" She flung her hands apart and hit Kigo-one with a powerful plasma that knocked the teen back.

"I won't let you beat me again! I won't let anyone beat me again!" Kigo-one proclaimed in a crazed, panicked tone while catching her balance and flaring her hands higher.

"Who else beat you?" Shego asked, even though she was certain that she knew the answer to that. Junior had beat and abused Shin probably moved onto Kigo-one when Shin vanished. _I'll rip his fucking fingernails and tongue out before I rip his spine out then!_

Kigo-one did not answer, attacking Shego with all that she had. When the plasma proved ineffective, she showed off surprises in her armor. Lasers shot of several places. Shego dodged most of them, being burned across the arm and cheek by a couple. She hissed and then leaped at Kigo-one, cutting through the armor somewhat with her plasma-charged hands that were tipped with talon-like nails thanks to her gloves. The armor sparked a bit.

"No, I won't let you win! Yon can't win! Never, ever, again!" Kigo-one flared her plasma higher and threw a wild blast at Shego, which she ducked. The blast collided with a tree not too far away and broke through the thick trunk.

"Hey, be careful before you make yourself sick again!" Shego warned the teen.

"Don't tell me what to do! Just fucking die already!" Kigo-one burned brighter. Plasma popped off of her higher from her hands, dancing up her arms. "Just die!"

She attacked with blasts and out of control swings. Shego dipped and dodged each try, which only enraged Kigo-one more. The plasma flared higher, blazing in a completely undisciplined, unrestrained. The violent green glow covered Kigo-one, even coming out of her eyes and ears. it popped from beneath her skin, cutting open her own cheeks.

"Dammit, kid, you're going to kill yourself," Shego growled and she flared her hands a little higher. She had to stop Kigo-one before she did kill herself through her powers. _But, first, I have to get near her and not hurt her too badly_.

The western ruler moved, looking for an opening. _I might have to make an opening because she's going crazy_. She decided that her best bet was to make an opening because Kigo-one was just letting her powers reign way beyond what she could possibly handle. Hell, her powers were doing things Shego never imagined the plasma could do.

Shego flared her own powers, putting more into it, more than she ever had put into it without looking to kill her opponent. She hoped that her superior energy could just cut through Kigo-one's wild powers. She turned and simply slapped Kigo-one with enough force to knock her down.

Kigo-one grunted as she hit the ground and she vomited as expected from the way that she was pushing herself. Still, she was off the ground, howling at Shego in an instant. Shego was surprised by how quickly she bounced back, even if it was on wobbly legs. Kigo-one was not going to go down easily.

"I will kill you!" Kigo-one hollered. Her plasma so beyond her that she was melting her own armor, causing it to drip from her body, and scorching her face.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Joss remained in the air, fighting off Bebes until another dance partner showed up for the Legend and the Toltec. Try-Acid ballooned himself up, just to get their attention. It worked.

"Joss, Comanche, keep taking down the Bebes! We've got Try-Acid!" Kim informed her cousin.

"No problem!" Joss replied.

"We got this!" the Comanche added.

Kim and the Toltec dived down a bit to meet face-to-face with Try-Acid. He laughed and attacked without warning, throwing out his arm and launching his own unique brand of plasma at them. The Paladin easily got out of the way and countered, drawing their side arms. Shots were fired at Try-Acid that sizzled as they hit his acidic body.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Try-Acid proclaimed before countering by letting his plasma fly again.

Kim dodged, only for the plasma to fan out. The Toltec activated its own shield as bits of the plasma almost hit the suit. The jade-colored goo sizzled against the shield while Kim put the guns back on the side.

"We need a new plan of attack," Kim told the Toltec.

"I'm scanning Try-Acid for weaknesses," the Paladin replied.

"Maybe going into Warrior mode will change things up," the redhead decided. "It's something he's never dealt with before. We might be able to surprise him and take him down."

While the suit scanned, Kim activated the Paladin's Warrior mode. It did not affect Try-Acid, who just kept coming at her. She studied Try-Acid as she avoided his attacks. He then surprised her by pushing up into her face. Kim retreated back and pulled her secondary weapon, the energy poleaxe. She cut through the blob that was Try-Acid, but he reformed immediately.

"This is ridiculous," Kim growled in frustration.

Try-Acid chuckled again. "Fool. Don't you get it? I'm the ultimate weapon and you can't win!" he declared with an arrogance that he could have only picked up from Doctor Drakken.

"You must not know me. I can do anything!" the redhead replied as she sliced through Try-Acid again. The same thing happened.

_Dammit, there has to be some weakness to this guy!_ Kim did not have a chance to figure out the flaw as Try-Acid came at her again. His fists flew in a strangely physical assault that she quickly learned was a distraction. Plasma shot out of his shoulder, heading right for the Toltec's face. Moving and countering, Kim used the energy poleaxe to cut through the blast and then charged Try-Acid.

"Toltec, I hope this shield is half as good as we think it is!" Kim said as she rammed their enemy, hitting Try-Acid with a lowered shoulder that was covered in small spikes.

Try-Acid grunted as the surprise blow landed and he was forced back, falling all the way to the ground. Kim then unleashed several missiles on the fallen villain. Smoke and dirt rose up, blanketing the area.

"You got him, Toltec?" Kim asked, eyes searching the sensors.

"On him!" the Toltec replied, locking onto their enemy.

Kim pushed them forward, cocked a fist back and punched Try-Acid dead in the face as he was staggering to his feet. The Paladin's shield acted a buffer to keep its fist from simply going through their opponent, so Try-Acid received the full force of the hit. The blow knocked him dear out of the smoke cloud. Heavy foot falls sounded as Kim gave chase.

"Sometimes you just gotta go low tech," Kim remarked.

"Be careful. The last hit slightly damaged the shield," the Toltec reported.

"Then we'll just have to beat the crap out of him before the shield completely fails," Kim replied.

The Paladin leaped out of the smoke to find that Try-Acid had enlarged himself to twice his previous size. Kim jumped up, going to kick Try-Acid in the face, but the jade blob put up his forearm, blocking the blow. He then unleashed a wave of plasma. A fizzing sound let Kim know that it was burning the suit, so she took to the air. Sensors in the Paladin alerted her to several problems, the damage from Try-Acid and Warrior mode was running out of energy.

"We have problems, Kim, and they're sorta big," the Toltec pointed out.

"I know," Kim grunted and then she looked at the enemy. "But, we're not the only ones."

Try-Acid had certainly seen better days. He looked like he was having trouble holding himself together, his arm sliding off of his shoulder as if it were melting. His chest looked like it was slightly caved in. Toltec zeroed in on the issue, a couple of the orbs inside of Try-Acid's body were sparking from cracks in them.

Try-Acid did not give Kim much time to contemplate what to do, throwing out waves of plasma. The attacks were dodged, but left no room for Kim to come in closer. And then for a split second, Try-Acid seemed distracted. Kim tried to take advantage, charging him, but his attention returned to his opponent before Kim could reach him. He threw out his good arm, letting his plasma flow out in a thick column. Kim dodged with no problem and Try-Acid began laughing like a madman.

"Why is he laughing if he missed that by a mile?" Kim wondered aloud.

-8-8-8-8-

Kigo-one had totally exhausted herself and literally burned herself out. Plasma sparks scorched her flesh and oozing armor. She was hunched over, almost curled into herself, but still on her feet, just barely. Her hair was stuck to her face and covered with sweat, which rose off of her like steam instead of falling to the ground. Burns on her face and arms looked like they had been caused by pure lava.

The fury in her eyes had never diminished, even as she began vomiting, dry heaving now as she had already coughed up everything that her body had to offer. She looked at Shego as if she were the most vile human being on Earth and then suddenly her eyes went wide with shock. Vomit was replaced with blood and she gasped as a smoking, gaping hole hollowed out almost her entire torso.

Shego gasped as she realized what happened. "No!" Emerald eyes shot out to see where that blast came from and seeing Try-Acid in the distance, looking their way with a smile on what was supposed to be his face let her know just who did it. Once he was certain that she saw him and knew what he did, he retreated and Kigo-one breathed her last breath.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: The aftermath of Kigo-one's assassination and Vivian makes a decision.

Come say hi to me (or yell at me depending on your mood) on FB: facebook. (com/) pages / SL-Kassidy/482097488469386 (take out the spaces or use the link on my profile.)


	54. 5:5: Graveyard

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.5: Graveyard

Jessica was babysitting Shin again. Neither of them minded and Shin suggested that they leave the house to get a hotdog, which was a comfort food for the child. Jessie had no problem with that, so they went to a burger place that Shin was familiar with because the familiar brought the child comfort, too. They had their favorite hotdogs and shared a basket of fries.

"You're starting to eat like your cousin," Jessie noted as Shin took a huge bite out of her chilidog that was covered in shredded cheese and onions. Of course, the little girl had picked up the idea of eating chilidogs with those toppings from her cousin.

"It's good!" Shin insisted with her mouthful.

Jessie shook her head. "You're lucky you don't have to worry about what it does to your breath."

Shin made a sour face. "It makes your breath stinky. I smelled Ryujin's after he ate four. I couldn't believe he ate four." Awe sparkled in her emerald eyes.

Jessie smiled. "I'm happy he found someone to be impressed with his chilidog eating skills. Do your moms let you eat chilidogs?"

Shin, ever the honest child, shook her head. "No, but they let me eat them with Ryujin. Just not all the time, so that makes it a treat." She smiled.

Jessie had to smile in return. "All right. I'll be sure to let them know you had one today, so they know you had a treat."

The child nodded in agreement. "When do you think Mom and Momma will be back?"

"As soon as they can, cutie. You know they're not going to stay away from you longer than necessary."

Shin beamed at that and nodded her approval. She then focused on her chilidog. She ate slowly, undoubtedly thinking about her mothers. Jessie offered her a smile, even though she knew if was a meaningless gesture. Shin's mind was a million miles away for the moment. Jessie picked at her own food until something outside caught her attention.

"Mom?" Jessie could not believe her eyes, or other sensors for that matter.

Outside, wandering up the street was her mother. Of course, Vivian was in disguise, which was an easy thing to do thanks to Vivian's mastery of nanotechnology. She wished her mother had been more original than to use what she looked like twenty-five years ago. But, she seemed to be pulling it off, which was good because it meant that there was no massive panic or angry mob after her.

Jessie was torn between getting up and bolting over to her mother and staying with Shin to comfort the child. She ended up slitting the difference, grabbing the little girl and rushing out of the restaurant. She did not even bother to throw down money for the meal since she still paid for things despite hanging out with members of the Elect.

"My hot dog!" Shin cried, reaching out for the delicious food.

"Mom!" Jessie called as she trotted up to Vivian.

Vivian turned around as her daughter caught up to her. She looked a little amused by Jessie holding Shin tucked underneath her arm, like a little green book. Shin certainly was not amused.

"Jessie! What happened to hot dogs?" Shin inquired, but she was ignored.

"Mom, what are you doing out here?" Jessie asked.

"I was just looking around. I wanted to see what your home was like," Vivian replied.

"Come with me," Jessie ordered, not giving her mother much choice in the matter. She grabbed Vivian with her free hand and dragged her mother to the restaurant where she and Shin were eating. The blond scientist did not resist her.

Shin was placed back in her chair and then Jessie grabbed another chair for her mother to sit in. Jessie flopped down in her seat and did a quick scan of the food to make sure no one had tampered with it for the short time that they were gone. Thankfully, everything came up clear because Shin dived right back into her chilidog.

"So, not only did Shego end up with the Emperor's wife, but also Drakken's missing experiment," Vivian commented, glancing over at the little girl.

Shin froze at the mention of the emperor and her creator. Jessie instantly reached across the table and held onto the child's hand for several long seconds. Shin took a deep breath and then managed to remain calm. Jessie withdrew her hand and Shin went back to eating. Jessie turned her attention to her mother.

"We don't mention those people around, Shin. She's Kim and Shego's daughter, as I am your daughter," Jessie informed her mother. Shin looked interested, clearly following the conversation, but respectfully staying quiet.

"And, yet, your demeanor now is much like your ma's personality. So, you babysit when they go out for battles?" Vivian asked curiously.

"They need someone to watch her and I'm not a soldier. They don't want her fighting," Jessie answered.

"Oh, you mean like I did with you?" Vivian snapped.

Jessie frowned. "I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth. Besides, I wanted to help because I love you, Mom. I wanted to be a part of what you were doing. You gave me the means to help when you upgraded to nanotechnology and so I volunteered. I wanted to be Mirage."

"Then why did you to stop helping?" Vivian pled.

"Because being out in the world showed me so many things, wonderful things. So many things that you told me about, and showed me, and I felt, but only experienced when I left. I made friends, including this one." Jessie reached over and ruffled Shin's hair.

Shin giggled and then her gaze drifted to Vivian. "You're Jessie's mom?" she asked in a polite, quiet tone. She smiled at the scientist, which Vivian responded to.

Vivian smiled and nodded. "Yes, this is my little girl."

Shin's smile grew. "Jessie says you're really nice and smart."

"You talk about me, Jessie?" Vivian asked in shock.

"General things and always good. Shin and I have having two mothers in common, so when she talks about her mothers, I tell her about mine. We have a lot of fun together. It's like having a little sister," Jessie said with a smile.

Vivian chuckled. "Had I known you wanted a baby sister, I'd have obliged you."

Jessie shook her head. "I liked having you to myself. This little sister goes back to other mothers at the end of the day." She smiled at Shin, who smiled back.

Vivian nodded. "So, what do you two do together?"

Shin lit up; they were on a subject that she could handle. They both began talking about what they did when their loved ones were out fighting. Vivian hung on to their every word, smiling softly.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego clutched the body of the fallen Kigo-one, taken out by someone from her own side. She held the girl to her, tears sliding from her eyes without a thought. Her heart was heavy and then anger, righteous indignation flared in her belly.

Her glow erupted all over her body, blazing like an out of control fire. She took off after Try-Acid like a bat out of hell, actually propelling herself forward with her powers to move faster and burning the ground as she did so. She rocketed past Kim, who had been fighting Try-Acid until he retreated and Bebes blocked her path. Shego was also blocked, but she bowled through them. Unfortunately, more Bebes came to block each time she went through them.

"Shego!" Kim called, but the green-skinned woman ignored her. Kim knew that something happened to make Shego so outraged. She scanned the area for where Shego was to find what had occurred. She noticed some clones that were lifting what looked a body.

"Kim, that's the clone Shego fights," the Toltec reported.

"Dammit," the hero growled and she charged over there.

Kim fought off the clones, who were fleeing anyway. _Junior must've called a retreat_. When they were gone, Kim got a good look at Kigo-one. The Toltec scanned the girl to tell Kim what her own eyes and common sense had already concluded. Still, she lifted Kigo-one into her arms and searched for a medic.

"Medic!" Kim called though the clouds of dirt and ash. "Medic!" Her voice was lost to the noise of the enemy's retreat. "Medic!"

"Kim …" the Toltec said, but wisely did not finish that sentence.

"Medic!"

Shego particularly appeared next to Kim as the battlefield cleared. She pointed to Trin in the distance and Kim rushed to get to the blond. Shego was right behind her.

"Trin save her!" Kim begged as she presented Kigo-one to her sister.

"Save her fucking now, Doctor Blondie!" Shego roared, taking the doctor by the collar.

Trin turned her attention to the fallen warrior. A golden eyebrow arched, but she felt for a pulse, even with their leader's hands still on her collar. Blue eyes glanced at Shego, but ultimately Trin turned to Kim, who was getting out of the Toltec for a better look.

"She's dead," Trin reported the obvious.

"No! You fucking save her, Trin! This is our fucking daughter, Trin! You fucking save her!" Shego commanded in a roar.

"Can't you use the green serum?" Kim implored.

"For the gaping hole in her chest?" Trin asked incredulously.

Shego grabbed the blond roughly by the throat. "You fucking fix her, goddamn it!"

"Shego!" Kim screamed while Shadow Hand stepped up to grab the western ruler.

"Let me go," Shego said in a deathly calm tone.

"You can't kill our top doctor over a girl that's dead already," Shadow Hand pointed out.

"She's my daughter! I can't give up on her and you can't give up on your niece!" Shego countered.

Trin sighed. "Set up an examination table."

People moved at the speed of light to do what the blond ordered. Kim put the body down as soon as the table was prepared. They stripped off what armor they could, which was not much since most of it was melted onto the girl's body, and Trin conducted an examination with Shego and Kim breathing down her neck.

"As much as I would like to save her, but the blast completely destroyed her heart. Her heart is gone. She's gone," Trin stated the obvious.

"Trin, please," Kim whimpered with tears in her eyes.

"Sis, there's nothing I can do. The blast destroyed her heart, not to mention her lungs and a huge section of her spine. You two keeping me here is just keeping me from helping someone who _can_ be saved because this girl shares your DNA. What about the soldier that bled for you and the freedom of everyone else? Should that person die while I'm forced to work on a girl that is already dead?" Trin demanded.

Shego glanced away while Kim put her head down. Trin took that as being dismissed and moved to direct the medics. Shego and Kim looked down at the daughter they did not know.

"We have to tell Shin," Kim whispered as she wiped away tears.

Shego opened her mouth to object, but changed halfway through. "She probably would like to say goodbye, right?"

"They might have a history," Kim said.

"We'll see," Shego sighed.

"I wish we knew …" The redhead was not sure how to finish that statement. There were so many things she wished that they knew. She wished they knew Kigo-one as a person, she wished that they knew her relationship with Shin, and she wished that they knew how to save her before things got to this point.

"I know, Princess. I know," Shego whispered.

Kim was not sure what to say, so she just hugged Shego around the waist. Shego returned the embrace and they mourned the child that had tried to kill them, they mourned for the child that had not been allowed to live her own life, and they mourned for the child that had not been given the choice to have her own life. They could not believe the pain of losing a child that was theirs only in blood and had been little more than a weapon, a tool, and a pawn for Junior.

"Junior's a dead man for this," Shego decided. Of course, she had planned on killing him for plenty of other things before this.

-8-8-8-8-

"I don't understand why the Emperor called a retreat," Try-Acid huffed. He and Hyperion were waiting in a conference room for Junior and Drakken and Hench.

"Really? Have looked at your body?" Hyperion replied in a somewhat haughty tone.

Try-Acid growled, showing that he was aware that his body was somewhat falling apart. Hyperion paid him no mind. Seconds later, the men that they were waiting on entered the room. Junior was the only one that sat down.

"Gentlemen, that was pathetic. Thankfully, one of the weakest links was eliminated," Junior said with a smile. "Good job, Try-Acid."

"My pleasure to follow that order. Kigo-one was a disappointment, right, Father?" Try-Acid asked, his attention pinned on Drakken.

"Yes, she was, Adam. She was a waste of DNA material," Drakken agreed.

"While we don't have to worry about her, there are still problems to address. The Bebes need to react more than they are. They need to be faster. The clones need more work all around. They were almost useless. Fix those issues," Junior ordered with a snarl. The look in his eyes told them that they were walking a very fine line with the Emperor right now. Of course, that was always the case when someone worked for Junior.

"Yes, sire," Drakken and Hench said at the same time.

"How?" Junior demanded.

"We can feed them both battle information to them and make sure they know how Shego and her misfits fight," Drakken offered.

"Then do it and, while you're at it, improve Try-Acid's defenses. How can he an elite warrior when Kim Possible almost defeated him by tackling him," Junior pointed out.

"Of course, I will. I won't let that busybody hurt my son if I can help it," Drakken proclaimed. "Come, Adam. We'll fix those malfunctioning orbs and then work on how to bring down Kim Possible."

"Of course, Father," Adam obeyed and the pair left, fully confident that they could destroy Kim and would.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego's forces gathered everything that they needed from the battlefield and returned to the safety of Isabella. There were some Bebes that were picked up for Wade to study and a couple of fallen clones that Junior's retreating troops did not take with them. They all chalked it up as a win, but Shego and Kim left quickly, feeling strange loses over the dead clones, especially Kigo-one.

The couple returned to their home, finding Jessie and Shin on the way there. Vivian was still with the pair, which earned Jessie a stern look from Shego. Kim grabbed Shin into a hug, holding her tightly.

"Are you two all right?" Jessie asked because of their long faces. The stress lines around their eyes and mouths told stories that their mouths would not be able to share.

"The battle was just harder than we expected," Shego replied, her voice rough and tired.

"What happened? Should I go see Ryujin?" Jessie inquired in a shaky voice.

The western ruler shook her head. "That might not be a good idea. He's helping bring the wounded in. He's physically fine, though. You should see him later." While they had not told him about the clone dying, she knew how news traveled. She considered that a sensitive lad like Ryujin might feel some sorrow over the loss of his cousin.

Jessie nodded, but they all knew that she was going to go to Ryujin as soon as she could. Shego and Kim each took one of Shin's hands and walked off, not even bidding Jessie farewell. Shin looked up at her mothers and her eyes began clouding with worry.

"Where we going?" Shin asked, her voice low now, as if she were scared that she might frighten her parents away.

"We need to talk with you for a second," Shego answered, trying her best to sound normal. She knew that she failed miserably when large emerald eyes only got wider.

Shin held their hands tighter. "I'm scared. You're acting weird."

"We know, baby, but this important," Kim replied. "I'm sorry we're scaring you."

Shin gulped and nodded. They walked in silence for a while, going into the building that housed Trin's office. Shin smiled, probably thinking that they were going to visit her Aunt Trin, but when she looked up at her mothers and saw that their expressions had not changed, her smile vanished. They came to a door and stopped. Both adults kneeled before Shin.

"Mom, Momma, what's going on?" Shin asked, her voice shaking. She refused to let go of their hands, even though her eyes were starting to water and she wanted to wipe her eyes before the tears fell.

Kim took a deep breath. "Now, baby, we know you don't like talking about the time before you came to live with us, but we need to tell you about Kigo-one."

Shin nodded, but sniffled. "You're not gonna send me back, right? I don't wanna go back. Nobody was nice to me there and … and … and they hit me. And … nobody gave me hugs or read me stories or cooked with me …" Her bottom lip trembled as tears slid down her cheeks. Her mothers immediately grabbed her into an intense embrace.

"Don't worry, Peewee, we're not sending you anywhere," Shego promised in hard tone, letting their daughter know that she meant it.

"We just want to give a chance to say goodbye to Kigo-one if you need to," Kim explained.

"Goodbye?" Shin echoed with a sniffle.

"Yeah, goodbye. You see, earlier at the battlefield, Kigo-one was fighting against us," Kim said.

"We were made to fight," Shin whispered. "Did Kigo-one get hurt like me? Aunt Trin could fix her up like me. Make her owies go away like she did for me, right? Make all of the bad thoughts stop. Aunt Trin could do that," she insisted.

Kim could not help the sorrowful smile that worked its way onto her face. It was touching to see how much faith the child had in Trin. It was unfortunate that faith was about to be shaken, maybe even shattered by reality.

"Aunt Trin tried munchkin, but she couldn't make Kigo-one's owie go away. Do you get what we're trying to say, Peewee?" Shego asked.

Even though Shin shook her head, her tears indicated that she did understand. "But, Aunt Trin can fix everybody …"

"Not everybody, sweet pea," Shego whispered and rubbed the child's back.

Shin sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I don't mean to cry. Don't know why I'm crying. She wasn't nice to me, not like you or Jessie or Ryujin. She never hugged me or anything, but she might not have known what hugs were. She wasn't mean like the Emperor either. She didn't hit me or push me around. She didn't yell at me like our creator."

"It's okay. We understand," Kim replied. After all, she and Shego were experiencing confusing emotions, too. They did not know Kigo-one, but she was their blood and they felt a loss with her death.

"Can I say goodbye?" Shin requested.

"Of course," Shego answered.

Shego opened the door and Shin took both of her mothers' hands before they entered the room. The room was dark for the most part and there was an examination table. A body lay covered on the table and the family stepped over to it.

"Is this Kigo-one? Is she taking a nap?" Shin asked, even though she knew that was not the case. There was so much hope in her voice, denial of the plain and simple truth.

"No, she's not taking a nap. She …" Shego turned to Kim for support to avoid saying the wrong thing.

"She's in a better place now, Shin," Kim said.

"She died," Shin said blandly. "We were around death a lot, even though we really didn't know what it was. The creator wanted us to kill people, especially you. We were supposed to make you dead. Instead, she got dead." She squeezed their hands harder and sobbed. "I'm happy it wasn't you!"

Shego and Kim fell upon their daughter again with tight embraces. Shin bawled, out of sorrow, elation, and everything in between. Her parents joined her with soft cries of their own.

"I'm happy it wasn't you," Shego admitted. "I just wish we could've saved her, too. I wish we could save them all."

Kim's embrace shifted, making sure she was touching Shego now, too. They were silent for a long moment. Eventually, Shin reached out and touched the cover over Kigo-one.

"I wish you could've been fixed by Aunt Trin. Then, you coulda met our moms and been in our family, but I'm glad you didn't kill Momma like you were supposed to. At least you don't have to follow the Emperor anymore. Goodbye, Kigo-one," Shin whispered. "May we leave now, please and thank you?"

"Of course. Let's go," Kim replied.

The family returned home. Shego and Kim took turns on having hot showers to make sure Shin was not alone. They cooked and ate dinner, watched a movie, and retired to bed rather early. They all went to Kim's bed that night, but no one fell asleep.

"Momma, Mom, I think I feel bad that Kigo-one is gone," Shin eventually said, her voice still low and somewhat confused.

"It's okay to feel bad. Do you want to talk about her or how you feel?" Kim asked.

Shin nodded. "I'm not sure how I feel. I'm all jumbled inside. We were the only kigos that were awake and … I dunno. I just feel weird. She wasn't … close to me, I guess. She wasn't like you, like I said before. She wasn't kind to me, but she wasn't mean. She didn't hit me, but she didn't help me when I got hit. I dunno …"

"It's okay, Peewee. Take your time," Shego said, petting Shin's head.

Shin's brow wrinkled. "I'm sad. Should I be sad?"

"Yes. It's all right to be sad when someone you know dies," Kim assured the child.

Shin nodded. "I didn't know … I didn't think dying … death was so … I dunno … I mean, can she come back?"

Kim leaned down and kissed their girl's forehead. "No, sweetie, I'm sorry. Once you die, you're gone."

Shin sniffled. "But, you said she went some place better. Where is she? Where do you go when you die?"

Olive eyes looked over at Shego. They were entering territory that they had not discussed as parents. Kim was not even sure if Shego had a religion that she wanted to pass onto Shin. Making matters worse, Kim knew that she was one of the last Christians on Earth. Most religions, especially the big ones had died out a long time ago.

"No one really knows where you go when you die, but some people have certain beliefs as to where you go," Shego chimed in. "Your mom believes that when you die, you go to a better place where its nice and warm and you can meet your family again when they die."

Shin smiled. "I like that. Will Kigo-one be fixed when she gets to the better place?"

"She will, baby," Kim promised.

That seemed to be enough for Shin. She cried a bit and then fell asleep. Kim smiled a bit and kissed Shin's forehead again. Olive eyes then focused on Shego. She reached out and caressed the pale green cheek, which was surprisingly soft. Shego tilted her head to the touch.

"Sweetheart, don't torture yourself over this. It wasn't your fault," Kim tried to assure the western monarch.

Shego offered a small, sorrowful smile. "I like it when you call me sweetheart."

"Then I'll do it more often. In private since I'm sure you'd hate for me to do it in public," Kim replied with a smile of her own. "What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't make her. You didn't put her out there and you certainly didn't kill her."

"But, I didn't save her. I should've saved her. I should've saved our daughter," Shego sniffled and tears slid down her cheek.

Kim wiped away the tears as they fell. "Sweetheart, don't do this to yourself. Try-Acid killed her and Drakken made sure she wouldn't listen to us. Remember, Trin pulled all kinds of chips from Shin that Drakken was using to control her. Even when she didn't have the chips anymore, Shin had headaches and complained about having bad thoughts. Drakken wanted to make it impossible for us to turn these kids around."

Shego nodded. "I know, Princess, but she was our daughter. I should've helped her. Shin shows us that there's good in those kids despite whatever bullshit Drakken and Junior did to them. If only we got her …"

Kim pushed herself up and carefully leaned over Shin to kiss Shego gently on the lips. "Unfortunately, we can't save everybody, Drakken's handiwork included. Yes, it's upsetting, but it's not your fault. You didn't kill her."

The older woman was silent briefly. "I can't believe you're the one consoling me. I've been fighting this war for twenty years while you're been here for two. You've really grown."

"I know I have. I'm sharing a bed with you, commanding my own team, and thinking about the future of my family. And we will have a future, sweetheart. Today, we made Junior retreat with his top warriors out there. We're close. You're close."

"You were right the first time. We're close. Junior knows it. Hopefully, he panics and makes a mistake."

"What're you going to do when this is all over?"

"I haven't thought about that in a long time."

A soft smile settled on Kim's face. "How about you get some sleep and dream about it? Dream about a world with no Junior."

Emerald eyes actually drifted shut. Kim continued caressing Shego's cheek until Shego was clearly asleep. Kim sighed and a few tears escaped her eyes.

"How can it hurt so much to lose someone we never had and didn't know?" the redhead muttered.

-8-8-8-8-

Trin called a meeting of the Elect, which Wade was fine with because he had things to share and was about to call a meeting himself. Shego and Kim left Shin with Jessie while Betty tagged along with them and Vivian tagged along with her. Shego cut Vivian a look as they walked toward the conference hall.

"Just because I'm letting you wander around doesn't mean I trust you," Shego told the scientist.

"You trust my daughter, though," Vivian pointed out.

"You're clearly two different people," Shego countered.

"Look, I want to help. My daughter is on your side and, well, she's learned a lot from all of you and now I'm learning things from her. Forgiveness would be the first thing and learning not to blame you for things. Besides, she wants to build something with this boyfriend of hers and I spent time with your daughter yesterday. You're vastly different to what I expected. I can help. I know things about your enemy," Vivian pointed out.

"Because you _are_ my enemy."

"I _was_ your enemy. I'm ready to move forward. You should do the same. You didn't kill my beloved and I don't want to kill you anymore."

Shego snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's a hell of an apology. It didn't even have a sorry in it. You basically politely told me to stop bitching and man up."

"Isn't that how people get you to do anything?" Kim teased, bumping the pale woman with her hip.

"Don't encourage the enemy," Shego scolded the redhead.

"I'm not the enemy," Vivian repeated.

"She's serious. She spoke about this with me and Jessie all night. I thought Jessie would have told you about it, but you know now and that's the important thing. We have Junior on the ropes and Vivian might put us over the top," Betty pointed out.

Shego arched an eyebrow. "I heard we and us in there. Are the Rebels with us until the end now?"

Betty nodded. "We're in this for the long haul. We have Junior. The Rebels are in this. So much so that after this meeting, me and you will talk to my inside guys."

"You had men on the inside?" Vivian gasped.

Betty waved her beloved off and Vivian let the discussion drop. They arrived at the conference room and Trin was waiting outside. She stopped Shego and Kim from going inside.

"I want to talk to you two in private before anything else," Trin informed them, closing the conference door. She did not even cut Vivian a glance when she walked in.

"This bad news, isn't it?" Shego asked.

"I am not a judge of news. The clone you almost killed me over –" Trin started, only for the green-skinned woman to grab her by the throat again.

"Daughter. Our daughter, your niece," Shego growled.

"However you wish to call her was wired for your destruction. She was chipped just as much as Shin. Her brain was healthy, though, and this is why she wouldn't have been like Shin. Shin had a lot of brain damage when she came in and the green serum helped heal that, but the information stored in those areas was gone from the trauma, like her intense urge to wipe you both off of the planet," Trin explained quite calmly as the hand around her neck loosened.

"What are you saying?" Shego asked.

"That, unless that girl got the right amount of brain damage, which would also have to fall just short of killing her, she wouldn't have been your daughter beyond biology. She was a weapon, the perfect weapon that you didn't want to hurt and that could hurt you beyond the physical."

"So, we should just write her off and our other kids?" Kim asked with a severe frown.

Trin sighed. "No, but that brings me to the whole reason to call this meeting. The others that were unfortunate losers on the battlefield were quite different from Shin and …" She waited for one of them to fill in the name.

"Kigo-one," Kim supplied.

"Right. She and Shin are completely biological, totally organic. The chips to control them weren't part of them and they were brainwashed into fighting you. They were fully and totally people, but Drakken manipulated their wiring completely to turn them into weapons. The others, while clearly biological, are really nothing more than computers wearing your DNA," Trin reported.

"Why would he make them different? That's weird," Shego said.

"Incredibly so. I don't know why the change. I have more, but I feel everyone should know, but I wanted you two to understand that they're just wasting your genetic material now and not even bothering to produce people anymore." The blond motioned to the conference room door.

Shego and Kim went inside, followed by Trin. They looked to see that everyone else was already there. The doctor turned to Wade to start her slideshow. He smiled in obliged.

"So, for those of you who don't know, the enemies in that high tech armor are clones of Kim and Shego brought to us by Doctor Drakken. The first two were actual people. We've all met Shin and Kigo-one was killed in battle by Try-Acid from the wound for unknown reasons. The others, though, are a little more complicated," Trin said.

"There was another Shin and she died?" Ryujin gasped.

The mere mention of clones got everyone's attention. Not everyone knew that Shin was a clone, so that was shocking in and of itself. Tim glanced over at Kim and reached out for her hand, getting a smile from her as she squeezed his hand. He patted her shoulder and then reached out for Shego right after. She also squeezed his hand.

There was a bit more movement with Bonnie and Joss going over to hug the leading couple. Tara and Monique did the same. Ryujin, Hana, and DNAmy were right behind them. Even Shin (the non-cute one) went in to give the couple a hug. Kim and Shego thanked everyone for the support. Briefly, their eyes drifted over to Jim, who was basically standing in the far corner.

Jim did not say a word. He looked worse for wear with dark circles under his eyes and lines on his face that they knew did not come from battle. Something was going on with him and despite how he treated them, they wished that they could console him, even though he could not be bothered to do the same for them. He did seem to be watching the whole group with longing in his eyes.

Tim noticed his brother watching them. He motioned over to Kim and Shego with his hand, beckoning Jim over to join in. Jim pushed off of the wall, almost as if he was about to come over, but then he settled back into the same spot. Tim and Kim sighed over their brother's stubbornness.

"So, wait, you're saying these new clones are more complicated than a clone that's actually your kid that wants to kill you?" Wade asked Trin, getting the meeting back on track.

"Oh, yes. The others are all mostly robot. They are human in form, but their brains are seriously underdeveloped and that's been supplemented by computer hardware. They actually seem to have infant brains, which has been rewired and transformed with computer parts. They can't think for themselves like we can. There's several problems with their development," Trin explained.

"They weren't allowed to properly grow and develop," Vivian chimed in.

"What are you even doing in here?" Shadow Hand inquired.

"She's helping," Shego snorted. She knew from that moment on he would watch Vivian like a hawk.

"What do you mean they weren't allowed to develop?" Kim asked the blond scientist.

"Drakken couldn't figure out how to accelerate the aging to create the army that he wanted, so he had a batch of clones that were mostly toddlers and living in tubes to learn whatever he wanted them to know and pumping them full of whatever he was using to keep them alive. He only had two ready and it was soon apparent that Shin was far from ready for war. The Emperor – Junior – wanted to use them when the Bebes were down after your first attack on the Hive and wanted them to be better than Shin, so he charged Hench with figuring out how to age the clones faster to get them to be closer to adulthood," Vivian informed them.

"Well, whatever his team did, it really made no sense to even waste it on the clones. They could've made robots, who would've been more stable and less likely to die. They have weak bones and muscles. They only reason they all didn't have heart attacks when they got out onto the battlefield is that someone wisely gave them pacemakers," Trin told everyone.

"So, they're fielding zombies?" Hana asked with a craned eyebrow.

"Close to it. Robot zombies," Trin replied.

"Then why clone Kim and Shego at all?" DNAmy wondered.

"Drakken probably had other plans for them before Junior decided to use them," Shego guessed.

"Junior didn't need them until you took out the Hive the first time," Vivian reminded them.

"My point is the clones are no difference than the Bebes. They're robots wrapped in a clone skin," Trin stated.

"They couldn't be … de-roboticized?" Kim asked with some worry in her voice.

"No, they couldn't. They not physically developed for the bodies they're in. They wouldn't be able to live without all of the robot parts. They're not even alive. They're zombies, like Hana said. They're creatures," Trin replied. "I'm sorry, but that's just what they are. They're not Shin." Kim nodded to show that she understood.

"Is that all?" Wade asked.

"For the moment. I thought that was important for you all to know," Trin answered.

"It was important for me. I won't feel bad knocking them out of the air now," Joss said.

"I wish things were different, though," Ryujin sighed.

"That makes two of us, kid," Shego commented. "But, Wade, you got something for us, too?"

"Well, I just want to go over some scans of the new Bebes and the armor we pulled off the clones," Wade explained. His presentation was just as quick as Trin's, just showing them everything that he learned about both of those.

"I can help you crack the Bebes and the armor and help you develop defenses against them," Vivian offered.

Wade looked at Shego, who nodded. Wade shrugged, but he accepted the nod, but he refused to tell Vivian that she could help him. The meeting was over with that. Shego looked at Betty, who motioned for the western ruler to stay. Shego nodded, but she did look at Kim.

"I'm going to go get Shin," Kim said.

Shego smiled. "I'll be along in a bit. Take Shin to the park and I'll meet you there."

"All right. Don't be too long," Kim said. Shego nodded and Kim left after giving the older woman a kiss on the cheek. Vivian followed the redhead.

"All right, Betty. Who are we about to contact on the other side?" Shego inquired.

Betty smiled. "Jack Hench." Shego's mouth practically went though the floor.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: they prepare for war against Junior with Vivian helping.


	55. 5:6: Revealing

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.6: Revealing

"What makes you suddenly want to help us?" Wade asked Vivian, who was standing in his lab thanks to Kim bringing her by.

Kim had been going to get Shin from Jessie and Vivian had been walking along with her, but then Vivian expressed concern about helping Wade. Wade did not look happy about having the blond in his space. Kim ignored his frown, as did Vivian.

Vivian glanced at Kim. "There are any number of reasons, but one of the big ones is that my beloved is with you. The reason I hated Shego so much, enough to join Junior in the first place, was because I thought she killed Betty Director. I was wrong, very wrong. I have much to atone for, so I might as well start now."

"And Shego actually okayed this?" Wade asked incredulously, throwing his hands up. The question was rhetorical because he knew the answer to that.

"You were there," Kim replied, narrowing her gaze at him.

Wade frowned even deeper, obviously not moved by Vivian's sudden switch. Kim was not sure what to tell him to put him at ease. While Vivian's reasons made sense to her, they could not tell him that Jessie being her daughter was another factor in her change. He would work out that Jessie had been Junior's spy and then they would stop trusting Jessie, who was very much on their side.

So, instead of reasoning, Kim went with her old secret weapon. She threw the puppy-dog pout at Wade. He jumped back.

"No, no, no," the computer genius shook his head. "No!"

"Please, Wade," Kim implored him.

"That shouldn't still work," he huffed, making his hands into tight fists briefly.

"We need all of the help we can get and she has inside information. She also made the Bebes better, so she might be able to crack them. She's worked with Drakken before, so she might be able to work out how to stop his weapons. She's not going to go back to Junior or relay any of this information to him," Kim explained.

Vivian chimed in. "I'm done with Junior. I refuse to be a part of something that could ruin my family or cause me to lose people dear to me. I definitely can't be a part of something that might cause the death of my beloved."

"Betty really means that much to you?" Wade asked.

Vivian smiled softly, looking very much like the gentle woman that she once was, the woman that she would like to become once more. "She's the love of my life. She was my world before this began. Middleton was far from my family, who all thought I was crazy anyway to try to be a robotics engineer. She was the first person to take me seriously and she pushed me to follow my dream, even when Doctor Phen was taking credit for my work. She was my rock, my world as I said."

Wade sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Again his gaze went to Kim, who smiled at him and shrugged. He rolled his eyes and snorted.

"What do you want to work on?" Wade asked Vivian. There was the armor that they had taken from the clones and the information that he had on the Bebes as well as some parts to fallen Bebes.

"Let me look at the Bebes. Drakken hasn't worked on a robot in years, so I doubt he's gotten better," Vivian remarked. Wade chuckled a bit and Kim took that as her cue to leave.

-8-8-8-8-

"How the hell did you get Jack Hench to be your man on the inside?" Shego asked Doctor Director in disbelief. They were still sitting in the conference room.

"It was actually through my other man on the inside," Betty replied.

"And who is that? Although, I doubt you could shock me anymore than fucking Hench. I never would've thought that greedy bastard could be on the good side unless these was a profit in it."

"Well, there is something of a profit in it. Hench doesn't have the edge or prestige that he wants with Junior and he knows it'll only get worse if Junior wins. He doesn't get paid working for Junior and as the days past more and more of his people are becoming Junior's men. Once his teams are with Junior, Hench will be unnecessary and he will be lucky to come out of this a slave. His time is short and he knows it."

"What did he expect when he threw his hat in with a madman? So, who do you have that opened his eyes?"

"Will Du."

Shego's mouth dropped open. "Get out of town. Good to know he's still alive. What the hell is he doing with Hench?"

"You're not going to like it."

A frown conquered Shego's face. "He's a fucking member of one of Hench's team."

"Worse. He's Hyperion."

"What!" Shego jumped to her feet and put her fist through the table. "What the hell do you mean? How the hell did he become Hyperion and why the hell is he working for Hench?"

"As far as I know when the GJ agents took Will from you, they lost a lot of tech and equipment, so they took him to Hench to save his life. Hench had the best equipment to keep Will alive, but then something happened, probably an earthquake, and Will was about to die. They saved his life and used him as an experiment. For a while, he didn't know what was going on and basically did as ordered by the people that saved his life. His mind was in a fog, he said. He couldn't think or remember anything beyond flashes. We suspect that they were drugging him to keep him under control."

"How did he come out of his haze?"

"He ran into Jim and Tim of all people. He was about to kill them, but suddenly recognized them. He said it was like the fog had been lifted from his mind long enough for him to hold onto a memory and then he was able to form a thought. They probably didn't give him enough drugs that day. He talked to the twins to find out what was going on. They tried to turn him by showing him I was still alive and he was ready to join up with us right then and there, but I wanted him to stay with Hench and he's been sneaking us information and people to smuggle into your country."

Shego nodded. "I guess I understand that. How do you know he was being drugged?"

"Because they still try. He doesn't take them anymore. They told him it was to make sure his body was stable, but nothing has happened so far. We tried to hack his medical records to find out if that's true, but in the end, Hench was the only one that could access the files. Will made friends with Hench by being his personal bodyguard and here we are." Betty shrugged.

"Then, we need Hench to give us all his insider information and then Will has to get the hell out of there because we're taking Junior down. This ends now," the western ruler proclaimed.

"I suppose before I do that I should ask what are your plans once this is over. What happens when you're the most powerful person on Earth?" Betty inquired.

Shego scoffed. "Do you really think I want to rule the world? If I could take Shin and Kim and live in a cabin in the woods at this point, I would. I'm so tired, Bets. So tired."

"I know what you mean. With Vivian being alive and this kid that I need to know, I'm ready to just settle down with them and never get up. But, you have to give me something."

"I can't give you what I don't have. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know what I'm going to do. I just want this over, so I can enjoy my family. You should worry about the same. You've got a great daughter. She might be a little unconventional, but she's a good kid and she's actually a kid. She's a person, Bets. Accept her."

Betty sighed. "It's weird, so it takes time. Don't try to be my friend or therapist."

The pale woman snorted. "Fine, but I don't like seeing Jessie messed up. My kid really likes Jessie and I like Jessie too, but whatever. Contact Hench. Let's get this out of the way."

Betty did not say anything. She grabbed the nearby computer and hooked up a link from her wrist to the laptop. She worked on a small keypad on her wrist for a couple of minutes. An imaged obscured by static appeared or the computer screen.

"Now is not a good time," Hench growled, his voice quite clear despite the poor quality of the picture.

"It's never a good time. But, it's really not a bad time," Betty replied.

"Now's a time for you to get in with the winning team or you'll get bowled over just like your dickhead self-proclaimed emperor," Shego remarked.

"Shego?" Hench gasped.

"It ain't Wendell Willkie," Shego quipped. "We're in the last days, Hench. We're about to take Junior down. Are you helping us out or what?"

"Are you kidding me? I'll get killed just for talking with you," Hench hissed like a frightened little girl.

"You didn't tell me he was a pussy," Shego said to Betty.

"Oh, well, that's one of the reasons why he was easy to bring to our side. Huge pussy," Betty concurred. "Hench, how about you stop being a pussy and hear Shego out."

"Hench, this is it. We have the upper hand. You know we do. You've seen the shit we've done and we're going to do more. Even if we don't, are you going to keep hanging your hat with Junior knowing that at any moment he could snap and destroy you? Let's be serious. He's out of his fucking mind. We all know this. You probably know better because you're closer to him. How does this look to you?"

Hench was quiet briefly. "What do you want and what's in it for me?"

The quickness and ease with which he flipped almost scared Shego. She could only wonder what Hench had witnessed Junior do to barely fight giving her information. She put that out of her mind, though, and continued with what they needed.

"Everything you can get and I don't kill you once this all over. Better than you can get from Junior at this point. You know eventually he won't need you and he's going to kill you. That's a guarantee," Shego pointed out.

He was silent again. "What do you need immediately?"

"Layouts, defenses, codes, whatever you can get," Shego answered.

"That could be dangerous."

"Life is dangerous. These are dangerous times we live in. What are you going to do?" the western ruler inquired.

Hench sighed. "My time here is short. Most of my teams are loyal to the Emperor and he won't need to go through me to use them."

"And you without a talent in the world that doesn't involve money, which doesn't exist in New Rome anyway. You'll be useless. I get it. What the fuck can you do for us?" Shego demanded.

"I'll get you what I can, but I expect amnesty."

Shego snorted. "I can't make that promise. Contrary to popular belief, I rule by committee. I doubt they'll all just give you amnesty. After all, you have supplied Junior with the means to keep this war going. But, I can promise you won't be killed."

"Making it a better deal than you'll get with Junior," Betty chimed in.

No matter what Hench argued, there would always be the fact that Shego would not kill Hench. Junior was going to kill Hench once he was no use to the emperor. That was how Junior was, after all.

"Hench, you have to know this is serious. I'm sitting with Shego. A huge piece of Junior's war machine has been destroyed. Do you honestly believe Junior's going to make a comeback with Drakken's Bebes? With those clones?" Betty inquired.

"This is a hopeless situation," Hench sighed.

"It's been hopeless for a while. Hench, what're you going to do? We're coming. Simple as that. We have the power and we're coming," Shego informed him.

"I understand that. I'll see what I can get you and send it to Doctor Director," Hench decided.

"All right," both women agreed and the communication was cut.

"I'll contact Will and let him know it's time for him to come home," Betty said.

"How long have you had Hench in your pocket?" Shego asked.

"Not very long. Will was drugged up until a couple of years ago. So, where's our first attack going to be?"

Shego shook her head. "We have to see what everybody comes up with. But, I'm thinking we take out Hench's city first because that's Junior's brain trust now. If anything's going to save Junior, it'll be them. He'll have to stick with whatever weapons and tech he has."

"You don't want to rush Drakken for the clones?"

"As much as I would like to, I have to consider what's best for us. The clones aren't as much of a threat as all of those scientists and engineers working under Hench."

Betty nodded. "I guess you're not the self-righteous bitch I had you pegged as. What should we do now?"

"You go tell the Possible twins to help Wade if they're in this. Stopping those Bebes and getting past the clones' armor is important."

"You're right."

-8-8-8-8-

Kim finally found Jessie and Shin. They were in a park, which she expected. She was surprised to see that they were with her brothers, though. They seemed to be speaking amicably with Jessie and Shin. Kim was shocked that Jim was even around.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" Kim asked curiously as she closed the distance.

Jim jumped and actually stepped away from Shin. The little girl's face lit up when she saw her mom and she charged over to Kim for a hug. Kim smiled, too, and embraced her child while keeping her eye on her brothers.

"We just happened by and I wanted to get to know Shin a bit. She's a smart kid and she loves talking about her moms," Tim reported with a smile.

"My moms are the best," Shin proclaimed.

Kim nodded and then turned to Jim. "And you? You just happened by or were you with Tim?"

Jim sniffed and looked off to the side. "I was talking with Tim and we happened by. I was being nice."

"Were you?" Kim pressed. She glared at him, daring him to be any less than cordial to her daughter.

Jim's eyes still did not meet the redhead's gaze. "Yes."

"He was," Tim assured their sister. He smiled, too, which comforted her. She suspected that something had finally broken within Jim and Tim was picking up the pieces with his twin.

"So, Shin, did you have fun with your uncles Tim and Jim?" Kim asked her child.

"Yes, ma'am. They told me about you when you were my age and they told me about them at my age," Shin reported with a grin.

Kim nodded. "Jessie, could you take Shin for a treat while I talk to my brothers?"

"Sure," Jessie chirped. "I could go for a milkshake."

"Oh! Milkshake." Shin rushed over to take Jessie's hand. "We'll be right back, but bye for now." Everyone laughed and Jessie led the little girl away.

"Okay, talk fast, Jim. Why the sudden change?" Kim demanded.

"Sudden?" Jim scoffed and shook his head. "It's far from sudden considering Tim abandoned me days ago and I was left alone to realize how I would be if I were truly alone. I took him for granted, I took you for granted, I took Trin and Joss for granted, and I don't want to be alone. We lost Mom and Dad. We lost Uncle Slim and everybody else in some horrible way. I'd die if I lost you guys, especially through my own stubbornness. I kept thinking about if something happened to us and I felt it like that, I'd feel worse than I do now. Being alone sucks."

Tim offered Kim a smirk as if he had set their brother up, but she supposed he did. Tim knew Jim better than anyone on Earth, so he more than likely knew exactly what to do to get to Jim. There was actually a look of fear in Jim's eyes, as if being alone was a fate worth than death.

"You're not alone," Kim said, patting her brother on the shoulder.

Jim's eyes watered. "I'm sorry for acting like that. We're all that's left and I was only making it worse and you were all going to leave me behind." He sniffled.

Kim locked Jim into an embrace and he wept, openly sobbed on his sister's shoulder. Tim joined in to let his twin know that he was not alone. They were still a family.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad are happy wherever they are," Kim whispered.

Tim nodded. "We're going to make it, Jim," he vowed.

Jim cried on and his siblings held him together. After almost a minute, Jim was able to get himself together. He stepped away to wipe his face. His siblings had the decency to look away. Once he cleared his throat, he turned back to them and smiled.

"I need some time, but I'm get better," Jim promised.

"Well, I need you to get better fast. Shin's my daughter with Shego. We're a family and Shego's my partner," Kim proclaimed.

"Partner?" Tim echoed.

"Partner, yes. Look, I have incredibly deep feelings for Shego. I want a life with her, a love life. We're a package," Kim informed her brothers.

The twins were quiet, considering that. And then they smiled at Kim, their blue eyes shining. They grabbed her into a hug.

"Sis, with you by her side, we doubt Shego could take over the world, even if she wanted to," Tim commented.

Kim chuckled. "Believe me, she doesn't want to. She just wants to help. Give her a chance and you'll see, especially once we defeat Junior. She wants to stop him, not take his place. You can hold me to that."

"I hope you're right," Jim sighed.

"Trust me. Shego does not want to rule the world, but people might ask her to do it once this over. People love her. She's not bad. But, let's not think about that. Let's think about taking Junior down," Kim declared.

"Do you really think we can do it?" Tim asked curiously.

"Come on, Tim. Anything's possible for a Possible. We've got Junior on the ropes. He doesn't have topnotch Bebes anymore. Shego and Doctor Director have some plans in the works. We can do this!" Kim grinned. She was almost giddy.

The twins grinned, too. Shortly after, Jessie returned with Shin. The child was eating cotton candy and smiling brightly. Jessie held two milkshakes. Shin ran over to her mother and hugged her around the waist. Kim automatically hugged back.

"Want some?" Shin offered everyone around her.

Everyone declined and Shin merrily ate her cotton candy and then took her milkshake from Jessie. Kim took charge of her daughter, so Jessie went off to meet with Ryujin while they had time to spend together. The twins left after being called by Doctor Director.

"So, what should we do before we go home?" Kim asked with a smile.

"I wanna see Momma. Let's just go home, please," Shin requested.

"Of course. We should spend some time as a family," Kim agreed. _Who knows how much free time we'll have left to do this until we stop Junior_. Taking Shin's hand, the pair walked off for home, hoping to find Shego there.

-8-8-8-8-

The Possible twins met up with Doctor Director back at the conference room where she was still sitting. They sat down across from her in the empty room.

"We're going to help Shego," Betty stated plainly.

"We figured that would be the case. Shego has something special going on here. Something that could put an end to Junior's reign of terror," Tim replied with a shrug.

Betty glanced at Jim. "Are you all right with this? No outburst?"

Jim sighed, shaking his head. "You're going to do it, no matter what I think. Besides, you're right. Shego has the means to defeat Junior. We have to help that effort or we can't even claim to want to help. Have you spoken to Shego about her plans for the world after the defeat of Junior?"

"She claims she doesn't know what she's going to do. I can't begin to guess," Betty admitted.

"Kim assures us that Shego doesn't want to rule the world, but even if we push for elections, the people will probably vote Shego in," Tim pointed out.

Betty nodded. "I know, but maybe the people will wake up if she acts out of line. And your sister is there to keep her in line." They nodded in agreement with that.

"What do you need us to do?" Tim asked.

"Everyone is working on weapons or training. You two can do the same. You used to work well with Wade, right? Go see if he'll accept your help again," Betty suggested. The twins nodded and Tim pulled out his communication device.

"Hey, Wade," Tim said. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"Tons of stuff! You want to help then get down to my lab," Wade ordered.

"You have to give us directions."

Wade gave them directions and they all left for the lab. Doctor Director just wanted to see what Wade was working on. She was surprised to find Vivian there.

"What are you doing here?" Betty asked her beloved.

"Trying to help Doctor Load come up with a way to stop the new Bebes. From the pieces that they picked up, I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something," Vivian answered.

"You're not working on your mech suits?" Tim asked with a chuckle, sort of teasing Wade.

"We'll get to it. I gave Tatsu first crack at the armor," Wade replied.

Tim's face twisted. "What armor? What are you talking about?"

"Last time we were able to upgrade the Paladins, it was through the armor we took off Shin. So, we're going to try that again," Wade explained.

"I could help with that," Vivian said and all eyes went to her. "I designed the Emperor's – Junior's – armor. He continues to use it to this day."

"What? Doctor Porter, that's really important. Can you upload the specs?" Wade requested, moving to point out a port for her to use.

"Yes, of course," Vivian replied.

Vivian's finger opened up, reminding everyone that she was more machine than human in body. She used her finger to download information into the computer. It took a few minutes.

"I've put the specs for his armor and basically any other projects that I've worked on for him. I might be able to hack Junior's computers," Vivian offered.

"No!" Betty spoke up. "That's too dangerous and you don't know what new defenses Junior might have put up since you've been gone. You don't have to prove yourself. You've done more than enough." She reached out for Vivian's arm, unsure if the scientist could feel it, but needing that connection.

Vivian shook her head. "I can never do enough. Jessie was right when she told me I was helping a man who was evil. I pretended I was justified because I lost you, but how many lovers did I help separate? How many families did I help destroy? Even the people here, standing before me …" She looked at Wade and the Possible twins. "Although it won't do any good, I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I can't make up for that, but I can help you stop this evil man."

Wade nodded. "None of us are angels, so I can't say I forgive you, but I can accept your help. We can bring Junior down with all of your inside information. Defeating Junior is the most important thing of this day and age."

The twins, not nearly as magnanimous, scowled at Vivian, but dared not say anything because Wade was right. Vivian gave their side a huge advantage over Junior. They bit the bullet and nodded their agreement with the chief engineer.

"Taking out Junior is _the_ top priority," Tim managed to utter. He could not believe that such a true statement tasted so sour.

Vivian seemed to sense the reserve. "I'll do all that I can," she vowed. It was all she could do and they all knew that it would never be enough.

-8-8-8-8-

Nighttime fell and most of the Elect and their new allies were still hard at work. Usually, Shego would have been right in the thick of things, but there was a little one to make sure was bathed and ready for bed. There were stories to be read as said little one was tucked in and everyone understood that. In fact, some people took to reminding Shego that it was getting late and she should go home.

"Shadow Hand practically threw me out of the damned Dark Room," Shego told Kim as they settled on the sofa.

Kim laughed. "I'm glad Ron's making sure you spend time with Shin."

"It's not just Shin he told me to go home to," Shego admitted in a whisper. Emerald eyes glanced down at Kim's lips.

Kim smiled. "You can kiss me whenever you want, Shego."

The pale woman did not need to be told twice. She scooped Kim into her arms and let her lips move passionately against the redhead's mouth. Kim made sweet little noises that Shego just wanted to devour. She wanted to consume Kim as the hero had done to her. Pulling Kim closer, her hands frantically moved against the redhead until she pulled away. A whine escaped the western ruler.

"Shego, I'm not going anywhere, so calm down," Kim whispered. "I'm here forever. You can take your time. _We_ can take our time."

"Intellectually, I know that, but you have to understand, Princess, you were just a dream to me for damn near twenty-five years. You were taken from me just as these emotions were starting to develop. On the inside, I'm boiling over because you're here now, with me. But, what if this is all a dream? What if I've hit my head, I'm lying on a battlefield, near death, and all of this is some dream to help me deal with that?" Shego asked and the haunted look in her eyes showed that she was serious.

Kim leaned in and gave Shego a peck on the lips. "I'm here, love, and I'm not going anywhere."

Shego's body relaxed and Kim gave her another soft kiss. Shego buried her face in Kim's neck and nuzzled her, softly crying. Kim cradled Shego's head to her.

"I'm sorry," Shego muttered and she did not bother to explain what the apology was for.

"Please, stop tormenting yourself," Kim said and she kissed the top of her lover's head. "Come, let's go to bed. You need rest."

Shego did not have it in her to argue. She did not seem to have anything left in her. Kim led her by the hand, like a child, to the redhead's bedroom. Shego was set to mount on last protest, but Kim silenced her with a kiss.

"Think of this as our bedroom now and a place for you to sleep. A sanctuary from all of the troubles the world throws your way. A shelter that lets you see that I'm not a dream and I want to be with you. This is an oasis in the desert of war, work, and death. Your troubles stay outside that door," Kim told Shego, who only nodded.

Shego allowed Kim to lay her down and put the blanket over her. Kim held Shego against her. The room was silent for a moment.

"I think I'm feeling anxious because this is really it. We're about to eat Junior alive and it'll be over. This has been my life and reality for twenty-five years. What will I do once this is over?"

"Live your life. Enjoy our daughter. Raise her with me. Love me and let me love you," Kim replied.

Shego smiled a bit. "I'd like that. We could have a little house. I'd like to stay in the city. I like being around people. Reminds me that the apocalypse failed. Shin could bring friends home and I could cook them dinner while you help with schoolwork …"

"Sounds wonderful, sweetheart," Kim said.

They both knew that was the real dream. Shego's work would never be done; Kim would end up the same way as that was just her nature. They would be needed when the world healed. But, it was nice to dream.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: choice moments before the soldiers going marching off.

Check out this cool picture by Philipster: (h t t p) : / / phlipster. deviantart. (com/) art/Era-of-the-Warring-States-329946616 (Take out the spaces or just use the link at the bottom of my profile.)


	56. 5:7: Gather

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

This chapter contains mature content. If that's not your thing, skip the 5th section of this chapter.

5.7: Gather

Jack Hench was usually a man who could read people very well and understand changing trends. He could also out smart most people when it was to his advantage. Most of all, he typically had good instincts. Those were the traits that made him a good businessman and that let him know that his time left serving the Emperor was short. The only thing that kept him breathing now that most of his scientists were loyal to Junior was the fact that he controlled Hyperion.

Hyperion was the mightiest warrior at Junior's disposal, possibly even better than Try-Acid considering the fact that he knew he could not power his way through everything. Hyperion only followed Hench much like Try-Acid only followed Drakken. Of course, Hyperion only did this because he needed Hench to do something for him. Hyperion needed Hench to get secrets to his true master – Betty Director, who, of course, had allied herself with the Emperor's most hated enemy.

Looking around his extremely comfortable and posh living quarters, he considered what he had already agreed to. He knew that all of his hard work would be gone eventually, either Junior would slay him or Shego would win and the decadence that he was accustomed to would vanish.

"And all I'll have left for my troubles is my purple skin," he chuckled, shaking his head. His skin had changed color a number of years ago after exposed to chemicals during an earthquake. "But, at least I'll be alive if Shego wins. I can always build my fortune again once there's a solid economy."

A smile curled onto his face as he thought about growing his fortune again. There was fun to be had in that challenge, so he could look forward to it. He was sure that after the war there would all types of things that he could use to his advantage to make money. He would once again surround himself with talented people and use them.

"Perhaps I can even get close to Shego again. She played ball with me in the past, so once this is all over, I might be able to go right back to how it all was before this." He smiled more as he picked up a flash drive and rolled it through his fingers.

He held the destruction of the Empire in his fingertips, just as Junior held Hench's destruction at the tip of his tongue. Hyperion was already gone, figuratively anyway. Hench needed to do the same. He needed to kill Junior before Junior killed him. He plugged the flash drive into his computer and contacted Betty Director.

-8-8-8-8-

A meeting had been called. Shego hoped that it was all good news since she had not called the meeting. But, no one in her camp called conferences for no reason. She finished up her last bit of paperwork and then moved on to the conference room. People were still filtering in and she snagged a seat by Kim.

"How's practice going?" Shego asked and then she looked around. "And where's the rest of your team?"

"Practice was actually called off today, so I was with Shin when this came up and the rest of the team was probably resting," Kim answered.

The western ruler frowned. "Called off? Why? We're getting ready for D-day here. You should be practicing as much as you can," Shego pointed out, about to go into a panic until Kim took her hand.

"Calm down. I think we got the day off because they were upgrading the Paladins. We're going to be ready. They're all excellent. God, you should see how we all improve daily. And we're all hyped about taking down Junior. We're ready, Shego. We're ready," Kim promised. Her eyes stayed locked with Shego's, not wavering, forever reassuring.

The pale woman nodded because her mouth would not work. Kim released her hand as the room filled with people, including the pilots that Kim was just speaking of. Shego silently admitted that the day off probably did them good as they were smiling. Everyone sat down while Wade hooked up the monitor.

"All right, I was told we have a number of presenters to get us all on the same page, but I'm not sure if there's an order since this isn't an official meeting," Wade said, casting an apologetic look to their leader.

Shego waved if off. "I believe you called the meeting, so you might as well start us off. Wow us," she remarked with a smile.

Wade shrugged and brought up the specs of the Paladins. "Okay, so this and the Bebes thing that I'm going to bring up next is actually a collaboration between me, Doctor Porter, Jim and Tim Possible, and Tatsu. Decoding the armor we took off of the clones helped us work out how to update the Paladins and upgrade our weapons. We were also able to incorporate nanotechnology that Doctor Porter has extensive knowledge in to make the Paladins true forces to be reckoned with. Tatsu isn't here right now because she's currently uploading new software to the Paladins and later we'll be upgrading their hardware. We're working on giving them a new hyper mode that in theory should be able to help bring down the flying citadel for a second time," he said and showed images of the Paladins based on their planned upgrades.

"How are they taking to the upgrades?" Kim asked since she knew as well as anybody how moody the suits could be.

"I haven't had a chance to talk with Tatsu about it, but if it was a problem, she'd be on my Kimmunicator, telling me all about it. Hell, she'd be telling you. No matter what, you all will be practicing tomorrow and hopefully you'll be able to use the new mode in a simulation until we put the new hardware on them," Wade answered with a smile.

"Y'all better not mess up the Comanche," Joss commented with a smile of her own.

"Don't worry, you'll like the upgrades. The Paladins are going to be infinitely better now that they have input from other scientists. Doctor Porter put in plenty of fine ideas to help the Paladins take on the Bebes." Wade gave the blond a nod.

"Thanks, Doctor Porter," Kim said appreciatively. No one else spared Vivian a glance.

"The Paladins will be able to take out more Bebes, so our human forces can focus on the clones and whoever else Junior wants to throw at us. The Paladins will also be able to overcome any heavy machinery that we might encounter. They should be able to wirelessly interface with computers like they do with each other," Wade said.

"All of that should come in handy with the invasion," Shego concurred.

"Yeah. We just have to get the Paladins ready and the pilots have to be able use it all," Wade replied with a shrug.

"We'll get used to it," Monique proclaimed with a confidence that all of the pilots shared. They nodded in agreement with her.

"Well, that settles that," Shego remarked.

"Now, onto the Bebe problem, then." Wade clicked over into another slideshow and the specs of a Bebe came up on screen. "Doctor Porter, you want to handle this?"

Vivian shrugged and sighed. Betty gave her an encouraging pat on the arm, which got her up from her seat. Wade stepped aside and Vivian stood before a room of people that detested her and had every right to do so.

"So, as you can see we were able to almost completely reassemble this latest incarnation of Bebes from scraps taken off of the battlefield. It looks like Drakken retreated to his last Bebes design instead of trying to maintain my design." Vivian swallowed nervously, expecting a reaction, but none came.

"This means that shouldn't be too hard to beat then. He's always sucked at robots. The best he's done was the Little Diablo incident," Shego pointed out.

Vivian nodded in agreement. "He hasn't improved much beyond that, especially since Junior had him focus more on weapons than anything else since he started working for Junior. Most of his free time had been used developing and improving Try-Acid and trying to make a clone army. Fortunately, through all of that effort, he was only able to fully develop two clones."

"How many clones has he tried to make?" Kim asked curiously.

"I've only seen his lab through monitors because I didn't make it a point to leave the Hive, but I counted roughly two hundred clones as he showed off his tanks. I think he has the genetic material to make more," Vivian answered.

Kim growled. "So Hench's people can chop them up into more monsters that aren't even alive?"

"That's what Junior will have him do. Drakken had been using his own brainwashing techniques that he continuously bragged about to control the clones, drilling them with all of his ideas and beliefs until they were ready to fight," Vivian replied.

"Was he raising the clones in tanks?" Trin asked.

"Yes, he was keeping them in the tanks, waiting for them to become teenagers. Kim has left him believing that nothing is more powerful than a teenaged girl," Vivian answered.

"All right, let's get back on track," Shego ordered.

"Right." Vivian actually blushed, which earned odd looks from everyone. "So, back to the Bebes. He's taken away their ability to act independently, more than likely because they've rebelled on him twice when capable of making a decision. Instead, they programmed to react to the many different movements that have been played in their memory to recognize. So, for example, if they were fighting with Shego, they would recognize the moves and react accordingly, but if you did something completely new, they could only react to what that was closest to in their memory banks."

"So, all we have to do is throw something at them they're never seen before?" Shin, the non-cute one, scoffed. "You make it sound so easy."

"I actually was not suggesting that. Merely pointing out a major design flaw. What will work to our advantage is that he kept in the Bebes' Hive mind. In theory, we can just corrupt the Bebes with a virus that they'll just pass on to each other," Vivian explained.

"I'm not a fan of the term 'in theory.' Tell me exactly what you want to do and how you can do it," Shego stated.

"I want … No, _we_ want to attach a virus to files that I know Bebes would transfer to each other. To infect the Bebes, we, Doctor Load, the Possible brothers, and myself want to develop an electronic device that can be fired from a weapon at the Bebes and start the virus in as many Bebes as possible to allow it to spread as quickly as possible and take down Junior's newest Bebe army as soon as possible."

Shego nodded and looked at each person that was mentioned. "Well, have we created this virus or ammo?"

"We're in the stages," Tim replied and motioned for Vivian to go to the next slide.

"Yes, Doctor Load and I have made progress on the virus. The twins can fill you in on the ammo." Vivian quickly motioned to the twins with both hands. She returned to her seat while they stood.

"It's not much to say on the ammo. It's shaped like a regular bullet, but when it hits a Bebe instead of going through, it'll cling to the Bebes and release a small charge, which will be the virus uploading into the Bebe's system," Tim said.

"How long until that's done?" Shego asked.

"It is done," Jim answered with a scoff.

"Now, that's what I like to hear!" Shego proclaimed, hitting the table with her palm. Almost everyone else smiled in agreement. "Who's up next?"

"I've got important news and it'll help move into the next phase of planning our invasion," Betty said as she stepped up. She connected a flash drive to the computer and opened up the layout to Henchipolis' defenses.

"Holy shit," Shego muttered in awe. "He really came through for us."

"Yes, he did. Not only that, but files on the weapons that they use as well as plans for Drakken's territory and even some things on the Flying Citadel. We hit the jackpot," Betty remarked.

"Great. That'll help us plan our attacks," Shego stated.

"How the hell did you get this information?" Wade asked in shock. "I've been trying to hack it for years and couldn't get close."

"I used my man on the inside," Betty replied.

"Speaking of him, make sure everyone knows that Jack Hench is to be taken alive should they happen across him," Shego said.

"What the hell? Are you just going to give asylum to all of Junior's fucking cronies!" Jim hollered and for once most of the room agreed with him.

"Since when does not killing someone equal asylum? Besides, Vivian surrendered to Betty, not me. And last I checked, Vivian came in handy. So, how about you all stop whining over shit and let's work on a plan of attack. We're going to take out Hench's operators first as they pose a bigger threat because of the brain trust living there. We hit Drakken next to take out the Bebes and clone army. Hopefully, we'll be able to save some clones in the process. Junior, we save for last because we are going to need every last man focused on that, all right?" Shego stated.

"Sounds like the thing to do," Trin concurred, which got the rest of the crew focused on the real problem. They started talking strategy, weapons, defenses, how to get the slaves to safety, and millions of other issues.

-8-8-8-8-

The invasion was planned and set. Everyone knew when they would be leaving out. So, they had a couple of days to say farewells to loved ones that were not going. For the Elect, it was a time to relax with spouses or friends before their work took top priority over everything.

In the afternoon, Kim suggested that they all have a get-together and Shego seconded that by suggesting they barbeque at her place. Everyone seemed to agree as they showed up with snacks and drinks, even Jim showed up. Of course, he looked horrified by the glamour of Shego's home. He could not stop looking around and his mouth refused to close if only to allow him to say something snotty.

"We're having a party?" Shin (the cute one) asked with a grin. "Mom, Momma, our whole family is here!" She was in awe as she looked from family member to family member and then to new friends. She bounced on her heels.

Kim smiled because of their daughter's excitement. One of the reasons that she wanted to have the gathering was for Shin to see everyone before they left for who-knew-how-long. She also wanted to experience a normal family gathering while they had the chance.

"What, Shego, all this elegance and no swimming pool?" Tim teased with a grin as he stepped into the backyard.

"Keep it up and I'll spit in your food!" Shego remarked. She had a huge backyard for everyone to lounge in, but there was no pool or anything else elaborate. Just a grill, some grass, a couple of thin trees, and a garden that obviously needed some love and attention. She was working the grill, but Shadow Hand of all people was preparing the food.

"Could we not hear about spit while you're manning the grill?" Wade requested.

"Could you take your complaints elsewhere?" Shego countered. Suddenly, the sounds of things falling and giggling caught her attention. "Dammit, Joss, you and Peewee better not be breaking stuff!"

There were more giggles and she could hear the patter of feet charging deeper into the apartment. Shadow Hand brought out more seasoned meat and glanced around the yard, spotting his son with Jessie by a tree. They were sitting together and Ryujin was blushing.

"Don't make any trouble for Ryu," Shego warned her bodyguard.

"I know what she is," he replied in a low growl.

"You mean a great kid that possibly loves your son? Yeah, she is that. Calm down, old man. She's different, but she's good. Leave them be. She's a person," Shego assured him in a low tone.

Shadow Hand grunted and returned to cooking. He did glance up every now and then, checking on his son. Shego could not help rolling her eyes.

"So, you bodyguard is a badass ninja as well as personal chef?" Monique asked from her lounge chair.

Emerald eyes rolled. "More like chef in general. He showed me how to cook, but he refused to ever cook for me."

As the food was finished, Shego placed the items on a nearby table. Everyone had plates full of good food and then there was music that was drowned out by good conversation. Shego shared a lounge chair with Kim and smiled.

"This was an excellent idea, Princess. We needed this bit of camaraderie before going to do quite possibly the craziest thing we'll ever do in our lives," Shego said.

"We'll do it again once Junior is defeated," Kim promised with a smile.

Shego was about to respond, but Shin charged over. "Mom! Momma! May I please have seconds?" the child requested with a wide grin as she presented her empty plate.

Neither parent wanted to get up, but Kim spotted a solution. "Go ask your Uncle Tim to make you seconds."

Shin nodded and was off like a shot over to Tim. She grabbed the edge of his shirt to get his attention and he smiled down at her. Shego and Kim smiled as Tim ruffled Shin hair before he made her a second plate.

"Tim seems to like having a niece," Shego noted.

"I think so. Jim claims he's going to try," Kim replied. She glanced over at her other brother, who looked like he was trying to inch closer to Tim and Shin. Of course, he never made it.

"When?" Even though Jim had showed up and kept his nasty thoughts to himself, he had not spoken to anyone. Despite the fact that he had been trying to move closer to his twin, he had not stood next to Tim or anything either. "We're not holding him hostage. Unless there's something that I don't know."

Kim chuckled, even though she knew that Shego was serious. "We're not. I think he's just sour that his opinion no longer matters and he's trying to deal with it."

Shego snickered. "As long as he comes through on the battlefield."

"He will. He doesn't want Junior to win. He might oppose you if you end up in charge after it's all over."

Shego waved that off. "I'm not worried about that."

"Let's enjoy this moment."

Shego nodded and looked at their guests. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, talking and laughing with each other. Even Tara, who really only just met everyone, let loose and fit right in. It was the perfect afternoon. No one would have guessed that in two days, they might all be marching to their deaths. Shego could not help thinking, eat, drink, and be merry for soon you go to die. But, she shook that away to join in the festivities.

Her eyes fell upon Trin and Tatsu, who were tucked away in a corner as expected with them, sharing a lounge chair. It was rare to see them showing signs of actually being a married couple. She took it as a good sign and then it seemed even better when Shin decided to go curl up with her aunts.

"Hey, Aunt Trin, did you eat the hotdogs? I ate the hotdogs because Ryu says they're good and he's right," Shin proclaimed with a grin.

"I know. Tatsu had some, but I only had one," Trin answered.

"You should have more than one. I'll get you another one!" Shin jumped up before the blond doctor could object.

Trin chuckled, even though she did not know what she would do with another hotdog since she did not want one. She took Tatsu's hand and rubbed her knuckles. Tatsu pulled Trin closer to her.

"When this is all said and done, should we have one of those?" Trin wondered aloud.

Tatsu glanced over at Wade and Amy, who were standing with Tim, but looking at Shin. She wondered if they were thinking about the same thing. Wade met her eyes, smiled, and nodded to let her know that he probably was thinking of the same thing. She squeezed Trin's hand.

"When this is all over, I'd love nothing more than to have a family with you. You ready for something like that?" Tatsu asked.

Trin sighed and relaxed into Tatsu. "I think I am," she replied as Shin hurried back over with a hotdog for her aunt. Trin opened her arms to receive the child and the food. Shin cuddled right into Trin, which earned surprised looks from almost everyone in the yard.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie laughed as Joss told a story about how she broke her hand trying to punch through a wall. Monique and Tara were standing with them and they all had plates in their hands. Monique and Tara grimaced as Joss ended her story, but it definitely sounded like something the woman they had come to know as the "wild" Possible would do.

"So, how are you three holding up? How's your new digs looking?" Joss asked curiously.

"It's huge," Tara replied. "I didn't expect such a luxury suite. I feel kind of bad for living there, considering I know how other people live."

"I don't think too much on it. When we beat Junior, everything'll start looking better and I bet people won't be living in rundown shacks anymore. We'll make sure of that," Joss declared and why "we" she meant all of them.

"It is a very nice apartment, though. We don't know what to put in it," Monique admitted with a laugh. She, Tara, and Bonnie had moved into their apartment a while ago, but it was empty beyond the essentials. None of them knew what to put in it; they had no clue what their own tastes were anymore.

Joss smiled. "Don't worry. You'll figure it out when we're done with this and you can breath a sigh of relief. My apartment looks like crap and I've been there for years because I haven't been able to stop and think about what comforts should be in the place. It doesn't even feel like home, just a place I sleep. When we're not all running a mile-a-minute, then we can set up home."

The trio agreed with Joss. They looked forward to that so much that they had to toast the idea. The whole yard toasted the idea when Joss said it loud enough for them all to hear. They raised their cups, or fifth hotdog in Ryujin's case, "to setting up a home."

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sighed. "I didn't think Shin would go to sleep in her own bed so easily tonight," she commented as she came into her bedroom out of her bathroom.

Shego snorted. "She didn't have much choice. All the company today and good food zapped all of her energy. She was about to fall asleep in the yard."

Kim chuckled and smiled at the beautiful body waiting for her in their bed. Shego was stretched out in her pajamas, which consisted of a green t-shirt and black panties. Kim was glad that Shego was comfortable enough around her to dress as such. Kim, on the other hand, had on a pink camisole and black pants.

"Are those my pants?" Shego inquired, crawling to the side of the bed for a closer inspection of the pants.

Kim smiled. "Maybe."

"I was wondering where they went."

"They found out that they look better on me."

"They'd look even better on the floor," Shego remarked and yelped as soon as she realized that she said that aloud. Her eyes fell to the floor.

Kim giggled. "I was actually hoping you'd say something like that."

Wide emerald eyes shot up to the redhead. "You wanted who to say what now?"

Kim smiled as she climbed onto the bed next to Shego. The pale woman actually retreated a bit to give Kim space to get comfortable. Kim was not interested in space and moved right next to Shego in the middle of the large bed. Shego swallowed loudly as Kim took her hand.

"Hear me out and please don't be nervous." Kim took a deep breath. "I love you, Shego. I want to be with you in every way possibly, including sexually. I know this probably isn't the best time to bring this up, but … Shego, I don't know what the future will bring, but …" Kim's voice shook.

Shego reached up and cupped Kim's cheek with her free hand. "I get what you're trying to say and I love you, Princess. God, do I love you, but I don't want you to do this out of fear one of us might not make it. I want you to be ready and I want it to be special."

"It will be special and I am ready. I want you, Shego."

"Kim …" The name was exhaled softly, like a prayer.

"I want this tonight. The world is uncertain, but I am not. I want you." Kim leaned for a sweet, but passionate kiss. The show of affection pulled a long moan from the pale woman's throat. Shego could only nod when the redhead pulled away. "Do you want this, Shego?" Kim whispered.

The older woman nodded again. "I do."

Kim smiled and kissed Shego again. Shego responded, kissing Kim back with a burning fire, letting Kim feel her desire. The redhead returned the favor, pushing back with a roaring fervor for Shego. By the time they pulled away, they were both out of breath and burning hotly for each other.

"Lie down," Shego requested in a low voice.

The petite hero could only comply, falling onto the pillows. Shego followed her to the head of the bed, but settled over Kim. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled at each other. Kim reached up and caressed Shego's cheek, which the older woman mimicked briefly. Shego leaned down for another kiss, which Kim readily accepted.

"You taste so good," Shego whispered as if it was a secret.

Kim's face was flushed. "You do, too."

Shego went in for another kiss, pouring herself into it and feeling a wave of something indescribable as she realized that Kim was taking her in. "It's like a dream," Shego commented in a low voice as they broke apart.

The redhead could only nod as a blush stained her peach cheeks. Shego felt her heart swell as she stared at Kim, not believing her eyes. She placed several gentle kisses to Kim's neck.

"I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you want me," Shego whispered.

"I more than want you. I love you," Kim replied with a smile.

Shego sniffled. "I love you, too. I want to give you everything your heart desires."

"Then love me."

The pale woman nodded and continued kissing Kim's neck. Her hands made their debut, caressing Kim's stomach and arms. Kim purred at the touch and her hands found Shego's back. Shego growled and went back to Kim's mouth, kissing her for all she was worth. Once again, Kim returned the kiss, putting her all in it, too.

Shego was not sure how her hands ended up in Kim's camisole during the kiss, but neither of them minded. Kim mewled and moaned, making Shego shudder and moan right along with her. The camisole had to go _now_ because Shego needed more.

"I'm going to take your shirt off now," Shego told Kim, clearly giving the younger woman a chance to back out.

"Yes, please," Kim breathed.

Shego sat up a bit, wanting to see in full what she was about to reveal. She inhaled sharply as healthy, but flushed, toned flesh was displayed for her eyes only. Perky breasts with rosy tips stared at her, begging for her attention to the point of making her mouth water. As she tossed the camisole to the side, she finally exhaled.

"So beautiful," Shego said reverently.

"I want to see you, too," Kim requested, air hands bunching up her lover's t-shirt.

"Pull it off for me."

The Legend nodded and did just that, pulling Shego's shirt up and the older woman wiggled out of it. The t-shirt was discarded to the side of the bed while Kim's eyes feasted on the sight before her. She reached up, but hesitated.

"May I …?" Kim entreated, eyes begging Shego for permission.

"God, yes," Shego hissed.

Kim had never touched another woman before, but her hands knew what they wanted to do. Kneading pale cleavage, she marveled over the softness. Shego moaned and pushed herself into Kim's learning hands. Kim smiled at the sound.

"Feels good?" Kim asked as she basically played with the twin treasures, filling her hands and caressing Shego's body.

"So good, Princess. Like a dream come true," Shego answered.

"I'm going to do more."

Shego was sure that was a warning, but her mind could not figure out what more Kim could do. She was already in heaven, after all. And then she felt hot lips wrap around her right breast. Shego howled in pleasure.

"Fuck!" the western ruler shouted and Kim released her.

"Did I hurt you?" Kim asked with concern.

Shego panted. "Hell, no! God, Princess, that felt so good! Let me show you."

Kim was about to protest, but Shego descended upon her, attacking with loving lips to her neck. The affectionate mouth moved down to Kim 's collarbones, kissing both as her hands moved to massage Kim torso. Her fingers crept closer to Kim's breasts as her mouth did the same.

Kim wiggled and panted, both in anticipation and sheer pleasure. Her heart rate sped up and she found herself unable to think. She did not want to think, only experience Shego.

Shego dragged her tongue along Kim's delicious skin. She wanted to lap the hero up, drink her in, and live off of Kim for all eternity. Taking her time, she licked and kissed one delightful hill and her hand took care of the other. Kim cried all and clutched Shego's head firmly to her.

"Don't stop!" Kim begged.

Shego's response was to take a rosy peak between her lips and she suckled. Kim's back arched, allowing Shego to take more of the redhead into her hungry mouth. Her tongue played with the jewel between her lips while Kim pawed through Shego's lush mane as if it would keep her from going out of her mind from the intense feeling.

As much as Shego wanted to stay where she was, she was all too aware that there were other places she wanted to taste. Her free hand, the one not occupied with a beautiful breast, inched down Kim's torso. When she reached the pajama pants, she pulled away to look into olive eyes, earning a disappointed whine from her lover.

"Is it all right?" Shego asked.

"Yes. From this moment on, you never have to ask," Kim answered with a small smile.

Shego smiled back and turned her attention to getting Kim out of her pants. She eased the baggy black pants down Kim's slim, muscular thighs. She felt short of breath as she saw Kim nude for the first time. She was speechless, overwhelmed by the sight, by her emotions. All she could do was lick her lips and hope Kim saw all of her love and affection in her eyes.

"Come here," Kim said, pulling Shego down for a passionate kiss.

The couple moaned into each other's mouths, taking each other in, felt as if they were exchanging souls. Shego's fingers refused to be idle through the kiss and sought out the new treasure that was uncovered. Kim yelped and bucked as she felt a curious finger run through her.

"Sorry," Shego apologized as her hand stilled.

"No, don't stop," Kim panted, looking her lover in the eye to make sure Shego knew that she wanted this, wanted everything.

Shego nodded, too stunned to say anything, and went back to intimately stroking Kim with a single finger. Shego felt like she might implode from the simple, yet profound touch. The redhead moaned and purred, her hips moving with Shego's wonderful finger. Shego added a finger, just to add pressure and pleasure. Kim wrapped her arms tightly around Shego, pulling her closer. Their chests pressed together and they both moaned.

Shego went in for another kiss, which Kim put her all in. Shego matched Kim's passion and Kim hooked her leg around Shego's waist, silently begging for more. Shego gave her just that, nudging one finger into the redhead and knowing what heaven felt like now. That was all it took for Kim to scream into Shego's mouth. It was probably the most delicious scream that Shego ever tasted.

Kim's body went limp and Shego pulled away to see the flushed beauty beneath her. Kim offered her an exhausted smile. Shego gave Kim a tiny peck on the lips.

"You're incredible," Shego said.

"I think you mean you're incredible. I'm definitely taking Junior down, just to make sure we do this again," Kim remarked.

Shego smiled. "We will, Princess. We will."

Kim fell asleep shortly afterward. Shego smiled more and held the younger woman to her. She hated thinking that she could die happy at this moment, but she could. But, beyond that, she would make sure they had a chance to do that as often as possible in the future by taking down Junior.

"I love you and our family too much to let things end here," the western ruler stated, kissing the top of Kim's head.

-8-8-8-8-

The day of departure was upon them. Jessie, Shin, and Vivian would be left behind, but they would see their heroes off. Shego and Kim had a long goodbye with their daughter while Vivian had a long goodbye with Betty. Jessie and Ryujin also shared a long goodbye, though barely touching each other beyond holding hands. Shego then pulled Jessie off to the side to give her last minute instructions for watching Shin.

"I know we've gone over this a million times, but bear with me," Shego said as she ran down her list of taking care of Shin.

Jessie patiently nodded through the whole thing. "You know, I have this stored in my digital memory."

"I know. It takes some getting used to that you're not the average teenager. Now, you know you can have my room. Keep an eye on your mom. You can have her over if necessary. Everywhere in the place is open to you except Kim's room."

Jessie nodded. "I know."

"Okay, then that's it. I hope you and Ryujin did more than hand-holding these past couple of days. Who knows when will be back."

The blond shook her head. "I didn't think it was right. I haven't told him what I am yet. I doubt he wants his first kiss to be with a toy."

Shego sighed and put her hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Kid, I've learned a lot of things in my life, like hesitating is the first step to regret. And Ryujin is a great, understanding guy. You know that better than most. If I can accept that you're a person, and you've proven that, then he can too and I'm sure he would like to know you care and know he has something waiting for him at home."

Jessie nodded, but did not move. Shego could see clear fear in the blond's eyes, which caused her to laugh a bit. Jessie was definitely a teenage girl. Shaking her head, Shego joined the Elect and Rebels to move out.

Jessie watched them and reached out, grabbing at nothing. She realized that Ryujin could be leaving and never coming back. He would never know how she truly felt and he might even doubt her at his lowest times. And when he glanced back out of all the others, she could see despair in his kind, brown eyes.

"Wait!" Jessie cried, running toward the group. "Ryu, wait!"

The ninja turned around fully to catch the weeping girl in his powerful arms. She threw her arms around him, embracing him as tightly as she could. His eyes went wide as she gave him a sweet, fond kiss full on the mouth. He relaxed into it once he realized what was going on and returned the affection with as much emotion.

Tears ran down Jessie's face as she pulled away. "I love you. Never doubt that. I love you."

Ryujin could only nod. He opened his mouth to say something, but she put her finger to his lip. He looked down at the finger then at her.

"Tell me when you come back," Jessie stated.

Ryujin nodded and she released him. She went back to her mother and Shin while he returned to the departing warriors. Those being left behind waved as their loved ones marched onward to destiny.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the invasion begins.


	57. 5:8: The roman invasion

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.8: The roman invasion

Shego's march could not help reminding her of Hannibal, the general from Carthage that crossed the Alps with elephants to take on Rome. Her forces were also going over the Mountains, storming into enemy territory with animals that could kill a hundred elephants. She was certain that her campaign would end better than Hannibal's go at Rome.

She had decided to go over the Mountains because it allowed her troops to maintain the element of surprise. Had they gone in by air, Junior would have spotted them before they even got to Neo Roma. He would have engaged them before they invaded and he would then have some clue what they were up to. Coming in by land allowed them to get right in Junior's face before he knew it because there was no way for him to monitor the whole desert.

The Possible twins had helped Wade design vehicles to get through the Sea of Despair, which was still full of danger without Gill's presence. They went through the Mountains, using an obscure and deadly path to enter the Great Desert. Everyone kept their own units together as they drew closer to Henchipolis. They went over their strategy and positions. When the city came into view, everybody knew exactly what he or she was supposed to do.

No one spoke; they merely got into position. They had not been spotted yet, which was by design and thanks to the documents Jack Hench smuggled to them. Junior's forces would see them soon enough.

"Amy, your animals in position?" Shego asked into her Kimmunicator.

"We're here now. Hard to fit some of them in these itty bitty tunnels," DNAmy replied.

"Ryujin, you in position?" Shego asked.

"Yes, we're ready to go," he answered.

"Jim, Tim, you good?" the western leader inquired.

"We're ready. Let's get this party started already," Jim hissed.

Shego looked at the forces that she was about to take into battle. They were certainly ready to move. She had the Paladins in front. She wanted them to be easily spotted for Junior's troops to focus on them. Moments later, she got exactly what she wanted. Bebes and other robots moved out of the cities toward Shego's army.

"Let's make it worth it, people!" Shego called to her troops.

The Paladins charged forward first, led by Kim and the Toltec. They clashed with the city's defenders with all of their might and as efficiently as possible. The soldiers fired on the Bebes from behind the Paladins. They were packing the twins' special ammo that was loaded with Wade and Vivian's virus.

The battle escalated quite rapidly, turning into a brawl. The sound of metal against metal with dirt flying everywhere was probably what an ancient battle appeared like. Shego could not help thinking of Hannibal again, which made her fight harder.

"Hyperion is on his way," Kim reported as she watched the warrior approach on the Toltec's monitor.

"Only engage him if he engages you. If all goes to plan, he should be joining us and he should have Hench with him," Shego replied.

"Understood," Kim said and Hyperion drew closer. "He's empty handed," she noted and then informed their leader.

"Still, only engage him if he engages you," Shego repeated.

"Understood."

Hyperion did not engage Kim and the Toltec once he was close enough. Instead, he surveyed the battlefield and then began attacking the Bebes. Apparently, he really was on their side.

"I wonder how Junior's going to react to this," Joss chuckled as she noticed Hyperion fighting with them. They had been briefed about Hyperion and his situation as well as his likelihood in joining them as soon as the invasion got underway.

"I hope he has a heart attack and dies," Bonnie stated.

"What? Too easy! We were made to kick his ass and I want to do what I was made for!" the Qin proclaimed.

"And punish Junior, too!" the Celt chimed in. They set about fighting even harder, wanting to punish Junior as much as they could already.

"What happened to Hench?" Shego inquired as she made her way through the Bebes over to Hyperion.

"He wasn't in his office. I think he panicked, thinking there was no way you'd take it easy on him after this was all over. I wasn't going to waste time looking for him when there was a battle out here and you obviously need me," he answered.

"I will not lament that choice."

-8-8-8-8-

Hench could hear the commotion, the battle just outside of the city. He had made the last minute decision to flee. After all, Shego was the enemy until a few weeks ago, even though he had never sworn allegiance to the Emperor. He was sure that she had not forgotten how he stopped supplying her as soon as her money was no good, basically damning her war effort. He doubted she would be as forgiving as she pretended to be, not that she pretended to be all that generous.

Of course, he could not stay where Junior knew he was because eventually the Emperor would realize that Hench had betrayed him. So, he escaped into one of the many forgotten tunnels under the city. He reached one of the vehicles that he had stashed in case of a siege.

"I'll be over in Kimber by the time anyone even realizes I'm gone and I'll hide from Shego right under her nose until things cool down," Hench planned. "Yes, I'll have to live the life of a wretch for a few years, but I will rise again, true to form."

It seemed brilliant to him. Junior and Shego would be too busy dealing with each other to worry about him. All he had to do was get to the Mountains and the ATV that he had would cut through the desert as if it was a paved road. He revved the engine and charged off to freedom. He could not help smirking, feeling that he had got the better of the two most powerful and feared people on Earth.

"Obviously, they're not the brightest people on Earth, though," he boasted.

-8-8-8-8-

"Why is Hyperion fighting against my Bebes?" Junior screamed as he watched footage of the battle. He flipped his office desk. "Get me Hench! And if Hench is on Shego's side make sure the Bebes kill him immediately!"

People hustled along to carry out Junior's orders. Furious sapphire eyes focused on the monitor and made sure the Bebes got new combat information – destroy Hyperion. In fact, he wanted Hyperion's head!

"Bring me his head, so I can crush it myself and eat his fucking brains!" Junior bellowed.

In his anger, Junior failed to notice the curious sight of a Bebe dropping without being shot. The Bebe climbed back up, but did not attack Shego's troops. Instead, it turned to the nearest Bebe and oddly placed its hand on he Bebe's head. That robot then dropped.

-8-8-8-8-

Inside Hench's city, the streets were deserted. No one was so arrogant to be on the street with Shego practically knocking on their doors. Amy was glad to see the place as empty as they assumed it would be. She waved her animals on as she walked through the street. Wade came up behind her, looking around, too.

"This place is freaking amazing," Amy muttered in awe as they came to a row of villas.

"It's built on blood and slave labor," Wade reminded his wife.

"I know, but it's still amazing. Now, let's rescue those slaves, so they won't have to worry about ever having to build something like this against their wills again," Amy declared.

Amy ordered her animals to break down the doors. Wade had his people go into each home with Amy's special bear-dogs. They were trained to sniff out humans since they were sure that the slaves and servants were probably hiding, not sure what to expect from an invading force. Amy's larger animals kept away any robot defenders trying to stop their rescue.

"Horses!" Amy called as people started rushing out of the villas. She had to hold in a sob when she saw how most of the people, especially the children, looked. "Oh my god. How can anyone treat other human beings like this?" Of course, she knew that she should have expected it; after all, she had seen refugees. But, the difference between the people that made it and those that did not was extreme.

Horses thundered though the streets, pulling plain metal flatbed carts. Wade's soldiers led obviously malnourished and mistreated people onto the trailers. They entered wordlessly, not even asking what was happening, who the soldiers were, or where they were going. Amy wondered if life was so miserable here that it did not matter where they were going or what was happening.

"Are you sure the shields on the wagons are going to work?" Amy asked her husband as the carts filled.

"They've been tested thoroughly. It'll be fine. They'll be protected from any fire that comes their way," Wade assured her. He knew better than to ask her if her horses were up to pulling so many people for as long as they would need to.

"Then let's get all of these people out of here before Bebes come in here and try to stop us and kill all these good people," Amy said, waving her horses away once the carts were full. More horses came with empty carts to carry more people. Each cart could hold up to ten people, maybe more if there were small children involved, but they estimated as many as three thousand slaves in the city.

"Move on!" Wade ordered his units. "Make sure you get into every house and move the horses along if they're full!"

The soldiers did as ordered, moving from villa to villa to grab people. All of the masters, the engineers and scientists that helped Junior wage war were nowhere to be found. Well, they thought they were nowhere to be found.

"Ryujin, how's it going?" Wade asked into his Kimmunicator.

"We're here. Piece of cake," Ryujin answered in a very low voice.

-8-8-8-8-

Ryujin cut the communication and waved his ninjas in the room at the end of the corridor. The group of ninja dropped into the room and flooded the entrance. Ryujin could hardly believe the indulgence that greeted his unit before they released smoke bombs to cover the room.

There were at least three hundred people in the room, lounging on long, cushy couches and being fed snacks by slaves that they managed to take with them. It was as if they thought everything was perfectly fine, or at least _would_ be perfectly fine. They obviously did not know their precious and highly-praised-by-their-enemies defenses had been breached.

"What's going?" someone gasped, only to be grabbed into a smoke cloud.

"We're under attack!"

"You were under attack an hour ago," Ryujin felt the need to point out.

By the time the smoke cleared, Ryujin and his team had everyone subdued. He called in the horses and as they packed people into the wagons, they unchained anyone who was a slave. Some of the elite tried to pretend to be slaves, but they were too easy to spot.

"Can we pack these monsters in as tightly as possible?" one ninja requested, shoving one of the elite scientists into a transport wagon. They had more than enough cages to hold the scientists, but they did not see the point of their enemies being comfortable.

"Ask the Savior," Ryujin replied. While he agreed they were monsters, he was not comfortable with giving the okay to human suffering. His aunt was of a different mindset.

"As long as you don't hurt any of the children, I don't give a fuck how tightly you pack them in those boxes," Shego answered the ninja. The ninjas actually laughed and decided to do as the Savior suggested.

-8-8-8-8-

"Start pushing forward!" Shego called to her people as she learned that everyone on the inside was getting their work done. She noticed out in the melee that every now and then Bebes would shut down. "The virus is working, too."

She was not completely clear on how the virus Wade and Vivian designed worked, but she knew it spread through wireless communication and also a touch. The Bebes shut down after a few minutes of being infected and passing the virus on, but she knew that Wade had something else up his sleeve for them.

Right now, she wanted to pull her army back together in case Junior threw something else at them. He could either try to overwhelm them now or fall back to Drakken's territory to defend it. She was willing to bet that he would try to overwhelm her because his brain trust was here, so she wanted to occupy the city as soon as possible.

"Move forward!" Shego ordered again. Her lines pushed against the Bebes. "Doctor Blondie, how's it going on your end?"

"I'm waiting for Wade, but I should have control of this mainframe shortly with the help of the non-cute Shin," Trin answered.

-8-8-8-8-

Trin and Shin were in the brain of the city according to the documents that Hench provided. They had come in through the tunnels, just like everyone else. They had to tie up a few people, but not nearly as many as everyone else. Most of the people that were running the city's defenses were slaves, who were controlled by a few armed servants while clearly all of the masters were somewhere that they assumed were safe.

"This looks complicated," Shin noted as he looked the computer system over.

"What do you expect from one of the most technological cities on the planet? Now, stop whining and get to work. We need to have full control of this thing by the time the army gets in the city," she reminded him.

"Maybe we could help," a slave offered.

"We've been running this system for years and have nothing to show for it except scars," another added.

"Well, if your freedom is important to you and you're sick of being beaten, then get up and help!" Shin replied.

The slaves did just that as Trin and Shin set themselves up. Wade rushed in a few minutes later and did not say anything. Wade picked a terminal and got to work with everyone else. They checked to see the progress of their army to see if they were in the city limits.

"Are we locked in yet?" Shin inquired.

"We're good. Is that reinforcements on the way from the west?" Wade noted as he scanned the monitors.

"It's all right. Focus on whatever you're doing and we'll handle the reinforcements," Trin replied.

"And help Shego and the rest of the army out," Shin added.

"That was a given, idiot," Trin commented dryly.

Shin opened his mouth to retaliate, but did not have a chance as he had to focus on the monitors in front of him. He wiped sweat from his brow as he worked several keyboards and consoles as their military drew closer. He figured out how to manage some weapons on his own while slaves pointed out others.

"Take out the Bebes," Shin told the slaves in case they did not know.

"Shego, we're in the control tower. Reinforcements approaching, both Bebes and zombie-clones. I'm about to pin them down," Trin reported.

"How about you do it, instead of telling me about it?" Shego replied.

Trin rolled her eyes, but did just that with the slaves. The reinforcements were unable to safely breakaway and join the rest of Junior's army. The main army and the city's defenses pinned the Bebes left and then Wade took control of the infected Bebes.

"Yes! About a quarter of functioning Bebes now belong to us!" Wade informed everyone through his Kimmunicator.

"That's great, Wade! But, how do we know which ones are on our side? They all look alike when we're shooting at them," Kim pointed out.

"Yeah, we don't want to take out Bebes actually helping us all," Bonnie concurred.

"The Paladins have sensors. Everyone else don't even worry about it. Think of them as shields that you can go through if necessary. They're just going to be fighting off other Bebes until you're safely in the city," Wade infomed everyone.

"And then what?" Kim asked curiously.

Wade chuckled. "I'm going to reprogram them, of course."

-8-8-8-8-

"What the hell is going on? Why is the city's defense line being used against my troops? Why are Bebes fighting with other Bebes?" Junior roared. No one had any answers for him. "Put me in touch with the command center!" The order was swiftly obeyed.

"Hello there, Caligula. If you're looking for your loyal band of psychopaths, they're all tied up at the moment, but I'll be happy to take a message and they'll get back to you when you're all rotting in Hell," Shin remarked with a grin.

"Who the hell is this?" Junior demanded.

"The terror that flaps in the night. Does it really matter who the fuck I am? We're all coming to getcha, buddy. Bye now," Shin chirped and the line went dead.

Junior screamed in frustration and went to break something, only to find that he had already ruined his entire office. His faced flushed a bright red and his breathing grew heavy. He grabbed the closest servant, who yelped while he had the chance. Wrapping his hands around the poor soul's neck, Junior strangled the slave to death as Shego conquered the brain of his empire. And making matters worse, he had no idea how to stop her.

"Get me, Drakken," Junior ordered in a harsh tone while dropping the lifeless body in his grip. "And get this garbage out of here and clean up this mess!"

Servants hustled to fulfill those orders, cowering as they tidied up the Emperor's office. Drakken appeared on the monitor moments later. His long, severe frown almost mirrored the one that the Emperor sported.

"You called for me, Emperor?" Drakken inquired.

"Fortify yourself with everything at your disposal. Shego has invaded and Henchipolis has fallen to her. Hyperion has betrayed us, so I can only believe Hench has done the same. Check the maintenance on all of the Bebes to make sure they're not malfunctioning and call back the clones. You'll need them to defend your position," Junior stated.

"You're letting her take the city?" Drakken asked incredulously.

"For now I will let her think she's won the day. When she moves, I'll crush her like the insect she is," Junior declared.

"Are you sure she's coming this way?"

"She will, Doctor. She's going to want to make us totally defenseless before setting her sights on my citadel. Little does she know how meaningless this all is because in the end, I will devour her," Junior stated with a deep, insane sincerity.

-8-8-8-8-

"They're retreating," Kim noted as the army settled into the heart of Hench's territory. They had pushed the Bebes back until they were reduced to piles of metal. The zombie-clones, as they had decided to call Drakken's enhanced creations, were fleeing. With the setting sun at their backs, Shego's forces screamed their cheers of victory.

"We won!" Monique practically howled with joy. The Celt threw its fist up.

"I don't believe it. We actually … we actually won. We beat Junior!" Tara shouted.

"We're coming for you, Junior. We're coming," Bonnie said with determination in her eyes. "We're coming."

"Gather at the center. We need a head count, equipment check, find out if we have anybody willing to join our military, and for god sake someone start cooking dinner. I could eat a moose," Shego declared.

Cheers erupted through the ranks again. The troops assembled in the center of town with Wade assuring Shego that the city's automatic defenses were active and set to go off if Junior dared to venture close. All of their prisoners and newly freed slaves were brought to the square, too.

"Doctor Blondie, these are yours." Shego pointed to the wagons as Amy's horses pulled them in.

"Got it," Trin replied and then she directed her medics where to start setting up.

"Ryujin, unless you're impaled on something gather food," Shego ordered.

"He already left," Joss replied.

"And you better be seeking medical help for you to be here instead of looking for supplies," Shego said.

"I'm doing checks on the Comanche!" Joss answered before Shego could assign her some boring task. She did need to run checks on her Paladin before the next battle.

"Everybody better be doing equipment checks!" the western ruler barked. "The last thing we need is equipment failure. Make sure everything is running smooth for when we leave!"

Everyone made sure to do as Shego ordered. The units took a head count and also assessed their casualties. They got volunteers from the slaves without even asking. Of course, they had to find out if the slaves could fight using the necessary weapons, which drained the candidacy pool quickly.

Despite not being suitable for battle, the slaves did help Shego's army. They helped dress minor wounds and collected supplies. When the food started rolling in, the slaves were the ones that jumped on cooking it. As the scent of good food drifted through the air, music began playing. Suddenly, it was a celebration.

"You don't have a problem with this?" Kim asked Shego as they sat down in some chairs that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"No, not really. They deserve it. This is a freaking massive victory and I doubt Junior is going to attack. When he retreated, he knew this was lost to him," Shego replied.

"So, do you know what he's going to do next?" Kim inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Shego sighed. "I've got a good guess. He'll double down at Drakken's place. It's his last place for real offense. But, it's not going to matter if everything is ready."

Kim nodded. Shego had already made plans for Junior taking his stand at Drakken's fortress. Looking around Kim was sure that their military was confident that they could pull it off. She could see why Shego was allowing them to celebrate. Morale was high and egos were growing. They were going to be ready to pull off another victory at Drakken's place.

Before they could talk more, a pair brought over plates of food for the couple. "Thank yous" and pleased smiles were exchanged before Shego and Kim were left alone again. They looked down and the first thing that they noticed was the plates were gold.

"Are you kidding me? Seriously, they're using gold dinnerware while most of their servants starve to death?" Kim asked incredulously. "I'm tempted to go over there and taunt them with the kids."

There were a group of slave children mocking the imprisoned Elite. The prisoners were still locked away in the carts, which had electric shields around them. The shields kept them in, but also kept them safe. There were older slaves that had tried to get to them only to find that the shields packed a good punch. And, of course, a few prisoners tried to escape, only to find out that the shield hurt even more on the inside.

"Shit, this would've been my kind of town back in the day. Gold forks? Really?" Shego chuckled as she twirled the eating utensil in her hand.

"I can't picture even you being this decadent. When I was here before, they had a Roman style bathhouse. I think that would be more your speed," Kim said with a smile.

Shego smiled, too. "I always wanted to try one, but I don't think I'll be trying theirs. Maybe when this is all over, I can have one build in Isabella. People might start relaxing since they don't have to worry about constant threats and attacks. A bathhouse would be nice."

"It's good that you're thinking ahead," Kim said.

The older woman shook her head. "Not too much. Just little things. I'm more interested in getting these battles out of the way. Speaking of that, status report," she called, speaking into her communication unit for everyone to answer.

"Still working," Trin said through her Kimmunicator.

"Animals have been fed, watered, and are resting. They could use a day or so to get back into form," Amy replied.

"The Paladins are functional," the Toltec chimed in.

"City's still under our control," Shin snickered.

Shego snorted and was about to eat, but Wade came over. He was smiling while holding a laptop. They smiled back because they were sure that he had good news.

"Guess where one of our infected Bebes ended up," Wade said, opening the laptop for them to see the screen.

"No way," Kim gasped.

"Fucking, yes! This is a huge advantage. Hopefully we can see exactly how Drakken gets up his defense. We might even get a Bebe that gets on Junior's citadel. Why didn't you think of this virus sooner?" Shego teased.

"We couldn't have done this without Doctor Porter. She really tipped the scales," Wade replied.

"Well, she's got a lot more to do to make up for what she's done," Shego pointed out.

"She will," Wade promised and Kim smiled at him for being big enough to accept Vivian, despite what she had done. He smiled back. "She will."

-8-8-8-8-

While Wade's infected Bebe watched Drakken, Junior watched Shego's troops as best he could. He had a satellite, but it could not give him high definition, up close pictures. Still, he could see they were celebrating.

He scowled. "Eat, drink, and be merry for soon you will all die."

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Shego's army moves onto their next target.


	58. 5:9: Siege

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost. I also don't own Game of Death, which gets a shout-out in the chapter.

5.9: Siege

Shego and her troops stayed in the jewel of Junior's empire for days. She wanted Junior to sweat for a while, wonder why she was taking so long. She also wanted to give the Bebe virus a chance to spread. She and her officers observed what was going on in Drakken's lab through the many infected Bebes that were wandering his territory and tried to figure out the best place to attack.

"Okay, I think our biggest problem here would be figuring out who's human and who's a drone," Shego said.

"Shouldn't our biggest problem be Try-Acid?" Hyperion inquired.

"I'll handle him," Kim stated with conviction in her tone.

"Kim," Shego started to object, but the redhead silenced her with a hand on her knee.

"You're going to be dealing with Drakken. Let me have Try-Acid," Kim said.

Shego sighed, but conceded with a slight nod. They returned to planning. The Rebels offered the tunnels that they used to sneak into the capital of Drakken's territory. Since they had no intention to hold the place like they were doing with Hench's capital, they would destroy the place from the inside out.

"What should we do about the clones?" Tim asked. Thanks to the infected Bebes, they had seen rows of tanks holding clones in various stages of development.

Shego scratched the top of her head. "Doctor Blondie?"

"Well, the ones fighting us are zombie-clones. As I said before, we can't do anything about them. From the glimpse of the ones in the tubes, I can't say having not examined them. From what I gathered from the zombies, their brains aren't manipulated with electronics until they're relatively toddler, about two to three years old. I don't know when Drakken might start his brainwashing, though. Could be from 'conception' or it could start later. It might depend on what Drakken knows or thinks he knows about babies," Trin replied.

"That could be anything and nothing," Betty remarked.

"Either way, it doesn't tell us what to do about the clones in those tubes. If they're brainwashed and we let them live, they'll grow up wanting to kill Kim and Shego," Monique pointed out.

"But, they could turn into Shin, the cute one, if they're not brainwashed yet," Joss argued.

"Besides, you can't just kill babies," Tara argued.

"How about we just assume they're fully biological entities and play it from that?" Wade suggested, figuring none of them would purposely destroy defenseless children, especially ones that shared Kim's and Shego's DNA.

"Sounds fair," Tim agreed with a shrug. Tara breathed a sigh of relief and Bonnie patted her arm to help settle her.

"How do you want to hit him?" Betty asked Shego as the Rebel leader pushed what they had been able to make of the floor plan forward. She had marked off the sections with guards and areas important to them. She had been able to piece it all together from Hench's documents and also from what the Bebes were showing them.

Shego looked at Betty's handiwork and turned her mouth up. "Amy, you and your animals head for the lab. You might be able to use it against Junior, but if nothing else, shut it down. Twins, help her on that note. You know your ways around a lab."

"Watch out for my wife," Wade ordered the pair, mostly eyeing Tim because he was the reasonable one.

"Hey, I'll take a bullet for the lady if necessary," Tim declared. "But, not more than one," he joked.

"Wade, you and the evil twins need to end up here." Shego pointed out the control base.

"This is another computer hub," Betty said, pointing to another area.

"Shit. You can take that alone?" the western ruler asked.

"Yeah. Will, you'll join me on that," Betty ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Hyperion even saluted, as if he were still a member of Global Justice. No one could blame him, as he was probably gripping that little bit of normalcy with all of his might.

"Paladin pilots, we need you guys drawing as much fire as possible," Shego said and she had to touch Kim's knee. They looked at each other briefly.

"Don't worry. We're pretty big targets," Joss remarked with a laugh.

"Ninjas out there with the Paladins. Ryujin, you take your small group again and look for any servants or slaves or people in general that need help. Shadow Eyes, back him up," Shego ordered.

"Got it," aunt and nephew spoke in unison.

"Doctor Blondie, in case of poison gas, can your unit handle it without you?" Shego inquired.

"Of course. We've been dealing with poison gas forever and a day, after all. We can break them up into smaller units to be able to cover all areas. Every soldier has also been equipped with the means to handle any gas that Junior usually uses for a short period of time," Trin replied.

"Who's got the explosives for once we clear the building and it needs to be leveled?" Shego asked

"My Rebels have them. They'll be taking out these areas as soon as they are clear." Betty pointed to sections on their map.

"Trin, Shin, who has the missiles?" Shego inquired.

"They're on the trucks and they've been loaded into the Paladins. We programmed them to be fired by the Paladins as soon as we target the Citadel," Trin explained.

"So, we ready for this?" Shego inquired with a smirk.

"Sounds that way," Shadow Eyes grinned.

"Then let today be Junior's last day to be able to refer to himself as an Emperor. Let this battle be the last battle of the Dragon Eaters' War and let history say the Knights won," Shego proclaimed.

They agreed with cheers and everyone rose to get ready to move out. The city was left empty. The people that were not fighting had been moved into tunnels. Wade programmed the infected Bebes to defend the area just in case, even though he doubted Junior would attack. Junior was likely to focus his whole army on annihilating Shego's military, but he was also known for his senseless slaughter. So, in case Junior had one of his genocidal, near-holocaust impulses, they had set up defenses for the city.

Several former slaves had volunteered to man the computer center to control the rest of the defenses that the city held. A few wounded soldiers that could have actually fought in the next battle were left behind, but they were there to make sure the slaves did not harm their former masters and that the former masters remained locked up. The prisoners were still locked up and Wade was the only one that could open the cages, but they did not want to take any chances.

The army marched off under the cloak of night, but that did not matter. Shego had her own brain trust, after all. They developed some camouflage for crossing the desert with a massive group. It was not just cover from Junior's eye in the sky, but the electronic sensors that peppered the desert because Junior was a monster control freak and needed to know when people were in _his_ desert. Hench told them Junior had the sensors put in after Bonnie escaped.

Shego figured that they would surprise Junior yet again, even though he had to know they were on their way. By the time he saw them, they would already be inside, tearing things apart. And then by he time he reacted, they would be ruining his life.

-8-8-8-8-

"Doctor, is everything prepared?" Junior inquired, speaking to Drakken over a monitor.

"Everything is ready. They'll never see it coming. As soon as they step into my territory, they'll be blown to bits!" Drakken laughed maniacally.

"And all of the Bebes are ready?"

The laughter suddenly stopped. "Some of the Bebes malfunctioned, but I still have tens of thousands. The Bebes outnumber Shego's troops by more than ten to one. Plus, all of the clones that are available are being used. I've added weapons to their armor and increased their ability to use plasma by using ideas I used to create Try-Acid."

"All right. I'll give you support from the air if necessary."

"It shouldn't be necessary. I can handle Shego. I'm not a coward or a turncoat like that bastard Hench," Drakken sneered bitterly.

"Hench will get his. I will never forgive his actions." Hench was as good as dead if Junior found him, they both knew that was a fact. Of course, he would tortured and wish he was dead before his life was ended.

Junior disconnected the communication and Drakken sat back in his char smiling to the empty room. He had ordered Try-Acid to make sure everything was in order for when their "guests" arrived. There was going to be a delightful party as far as he was concerned.

"Shego will be the guest of honor. I will personally destroy her and then kill Kim Possible again!" Drakken declared and he began laughing again. A sudden coughing fit halted his laughing, but did not wash away his smile.

He imagined what it would be like to finally to have both Shego and Kim Possible kneeling before him, recognizing his victory and superiority. He would make them beg for their lives and then behead Kim right in front of Shego. Kim, though she mocked him with her existence and made him into a liar, did not offend him as greatly as Shego did, so the redhead would be used as a torture device against Shego.

He would want Shego to see how ruthless and unforgiving he was now. He would torture her in every way he could think of before ending her. It would probably take years. _It'll be glorious_. All he had to do was take out her very human military and he knew the odds were in his favor.

"You're mine now, Shego. First you and then Junior," Drakken decided. He still had designs on the world and with all of the toys at his fingertips as well as all of the toys that Junior lost in the past few weeks, Drakken knew it was now his time.

-8-8-8-8-

Now was the time for action. As the sun settled in the sky, Shego's forces crept out of the Rebel tunnels and began the invasion. Outside in the open, the Paladins and ninjas along with troops armed the Bebe virus marched on the capital city and they were attacked immediately. Zombie-clones and Bebes rushed out of Drakken's stronghold onto the flat, rocky desert plane. The two forces clashed as soon as Junior's forces touched down.

"How can he have this many Bebes still?" Monique wondered aloud as she fought though what seemed like an ocean of Bebes. Bonnie was next to her while Tara took up position behind them, taking care of any robots that made it past the pair.

"Hold off as many as you can for now! No Warrior Mode until we hear from the troops inside!" Kim reminded her team.

"We can still take these chumps!" the Comanche declared while running through a massive of zombie-clones.

"Do your best! Make sure to keep your position! Don't give up any ground!" Kim ordered. She knew that would be closed to impossible. They were grossly outnumbered and they were slowly being surrounded.

"We got this!" Joss proclaimed with the usual confidence, even though she could barely see through the swarm of zombie-clones in the air.

"Piece of cake!" the Comanche agreed.

There was a light in the crazy battle, though, as they spotted some of the already infected Bebes. Their numbers were growing as they attacked all of the Bebes near them. The troops continued firing into the Bebes, too, infecting even more. All they had to do was hold out until the Bebe numbers were on their side.

"Joss, go protect the right flank!" Kim ordered as zombie-clones began closing in on the army.

"On it!" Joss replied and turned the Comanche that way.

"Mo! Bonnie! Forget the Bebes! The troops and the Shadow Hand ninja have those! Focus on the zombie-clones! Tara, keep watching their backs!" Kim commanded in a strong tone, secure in her position. "Just guns and melee weapons! Hold all missiles for now!"

Monique and Bonnie moved their Paladins as ordered. They found the zombie-clones to be different from the Bebes. They had more weapons and more power, but they were much slower. Monique and Bonnie had fought the Bebes by firing their guns into the lines and mowing down Bebes that moved into their paths more them aiming at them. The zombie-clones could be targeted and locked on.

"Stay together and calm!" Kim reminded her squad. "Shadow Hand, are your ninjas holding?" she asked through the communication unit.

"We've had a lot of experience handling far superior Bebes. Don't worry about the ninja!" Shadow Hand answered while ordering his warriors about and fighting off Bebes himself. The robots were closing in on the ninjas.

"We'll watch your backs anyway!" Kim replied as she tossed down several zombie-clones into the mob of Bebes, giving the ninja some much needed space.

"Good use of resources," the Toltec remarked.

"Don't get cocky, Toltec! We've got hundreds of these to go!" Kim pointed out. She could not believe that Drakken had made over two hundred clones of her and Shego. Of course, making the act more monstrous someone had taken underdeveloped, real children and put computer parts in their heads to allow them to function as weapons of mass destruction. _Dammit, who does that? Take real, human kids, my kids, _**our**_ kids, and turn them into objects? Make them beyond salvation? _She growled.

"Watch out!" Monique called as she took out a clone coming up behind Bonnie. The Celt then rocked as shots pelted the Paladin. "Tara!"

"Sorry! Come on, Zulu, we have to be faster than that!" Tara growled, using her powerful automatic rifle, made just for supporting the others. One direct shot tended to put an enemy down, but there were enemies right behind those that she shot down.

"Keep calm!" Bonnie reminded them before she pushed to the ground. She grunted, but took her own advice. "I won't let Junior win!" she growled as she flung zombie-clones from the Qin.

"We won't let Junior win," the Qin corrected her as it targeted several clones for her to shoot down. "Let's give 'em Hell!" The Paladin took off.

"Give 'em Hell!" the Zulu agreed as Tara continued on mowing down enemies to give Monique and the Celt a chance to get their bearings back.

-8-8-8-8-

On the inside, Shego's troops met with more armed resistance from Bebes mostly. They had more cover than the outside forces, but they were split up with smaller numbers. If they were not careful, the Bebes could wipe them out. Thankfully, using the tunnels brought almost everyone close to where they needed to be.

"No matter what happens, everyone stick to their objective!" Shego hissed the order. She had a ways to go to reach Drakken, so she did not want to totally blow her cover yet as she emerged from a dark hall. She looked up at the tower where she was certain Drakken awaited her. "I should've worn yellow since this is like the Game of Death."

With her bit of humor out of the way, she started down the path that led to Drakken. She partially hoped to meet Try-Acid, even though Kim had called the match with him. She wanted to pay that bastard back, though. _He had no right to take her away from us!_

Try-Acid was wiped from her mind as Bebes and what she hoped were drones came out of nowhere. She went at them, the terrain on her side since she was in a narrow corridor. She used her plasma on the Bebes, but her first swipe at the drones was sans plasma just to make sure they were drones and not poor saps that Drakken just threw at them as cannon fodder. They were, indeed, drones.

"I'm still coming for you, Doctor D. Nothing's going to stop that," Shego huffed as she dropped the crew fighting against her. She pressed on. "Checking in. How're we doing?"

"We're pinned!" Wade reported. She could hear the gunfire almost covering his voice. "He has booby traps! I repeat, there are booby traps! Everyone be careful," he reported for all to hear.

"Shit," Shego hissed and then almost had her head blown off by a hidden, wall-mounted machine gun. "Shit," she repeated with a heavy exhale.

-8-8-8-8-

"Do we have to go down that hall?" Shin inquired as he, Trin, and Wade along with a small section of Wade's engineer troops stayed tucked in a corner. The corridor that they needed to get into was crawling with machine guns and the poor soul that discovered that was lying dead in the hall opening minus a head.

"Yeah, there's only one way," Wade answered.

"Well, then, we have to go down this hall," Trin said as she went into her pockets.

"What did you bring?" Shin asked.

"The same explosives we all have," Trin replied, holding up what looked like small candles.

Wade smiled. "You have mini-versions of them." The explosives that he was carrying probably would have blown up the whole hall and blocked their route, which would ultimately defeat their purpose.

The explosives were lit and tossed down the corridor. They all moved away from the opening as the charges went off. The suppression fire ceased and they carefully moved into the hall. Wade activated and checked everyone's shields to help prevent anyone else being mowed down. Everything seemed to be functional.

"Drakken was really ready for us," Wade pointed out as he electronically scanned the next hall that they came to. "Shit, that's a mine field."

"You got something for that?" Shin asked.

"Yeah, of course," Wade replied as he pulled out a disk shaped object. He leaned into the hall and stuck it on the wall. He left it alone for a second.

"Well, you gonna do something?" Shin inquired.

"Give it a second to charge." Wade leaned back in and pressed a button on the center of the device. They heard a loud zap and then the mines exploded.

"Good work," Trin said as they entered the new room and pressed forward into a more open area, only to be pinned down by more Bebes fire.

"Fuck!" Shin screamed as they dived for cover. "Well, nobody ever said freeing the world from tyranny would be easy!"

"I wish they had, if only to warn us," Wade remarked.

"I guess it's my turn," Shin said as he pulled out what looked like a handful of marbles. He rolled them into the area and there was a massive explosion. He chuckled, even as dust and debris was blown back into their faces. "I love those things."

"You idiot! You probably blew the roof off of the place!" Trin pointed out.

"Be careful, Shin! You could be making things difficult for another team!" Wade pointed out.

-8-8-8-8-

"What the hell was that?" Shadow Eyes said as a huge explosion rocked the ground beneath her and Ryujin's ninja band and shook the walls around them. They stuck together, as they dodged debris. Once out of harm's way, they continued hunting for any humans and finding no signs of life.

"Are Drakken and Try-Acid the only free thinking beings in this whole crazy labyrinth?" Ryujin wondered aloud.

Shadow Eyes snorted. "Damn sure looks that way."

"Keep moving and keep looking," Ryujin ordered everyone. The ninjas did as commanded while Shadow Eyes stuck to her nephew to keep him safe. No signs of human life, though.

-8-8-8-8-

"How did they sneak in here?" Drakken demanded with a deep scowl as he watched the invaders on monitors all through out his office. He had been prepared for the enemy making it into his fortress, but not for them to start off in his home.

The angry scientist turned to Try-Acid and pointed to the monitor showing the outside battle. It was a fight that they should be done with already, having the numbers to overwhelm Shego's forces. But, the battle was still raging and slowly seemed to be turning in Shego's favor as the Bebes suffered some malfunction.

"Go destroy those suits, Adam," Drakken ordered, referring to the Paladins. "And then take out all of the broken Bebes."

"But, Dad, Shego's headed here," Try-Acid objected.

"I know how to stop her. You stop those suits," Drakken commanded again.

Try-Acid nodded and left to do his father's bidding. The scientist laughed as he turned his attention back to his monitors. Hitting a button on the armrest of his wheelchair, his image appeared on every screen in Drakkenium. He was sure that would get his enemies' attention.

"Listen to me, intruders!" Drakken's voice boomed through out the whole territory. "You will surrender now or I will kill a person every minute that you continue to oppose me!" he announced.

"He's not bluffing, is he?" Kim asked as the thundering voice reached over the battle.

"Probably not, but everybody stay focused on your tasks!" Shego commanded. "We can't help a damn soul if we let Drakken's crazy ass capture us and destroy our efforts!"

"We're still moving," Tim assured her, not wanting Shego to worry if the Rebels were still with her.

"You just go kick Drakken's ass," Jim added.

Shego did as she told everyone else to do. Even though Drakken did not hear the communications between his enemies, he moved forward with his threat without even giving them a chance to respond. Drakken's drones brought in the first human victim. The drones stood the person before Drakken while the person struggled to get away from the five drones. Then one of the drones then slit the person's and dropped the dying soul on to the floor, allowing the person to bleed out.

"Monster!" Kim screamed. Now, she could see just how much Drakken how changed, how truly insane he had become over the years.

"Bastard," Shego growled. "Everyone, remember your tasks! Stay on it!"

"You do the same!" Wade replied.

Drakken cackled. "You now have sixty seconds to surrender before the next person is brought in!"

They could only wonder how many victims Drakken had waiting and hoped that they got to their positions before he killed everyone at his disposal. They just knew they had to hurry, if they wanted to save those people, especially Shego.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim growled as she watched Try-Acid march out onto the battlefield and she wasted no time engaging him. She pushed the Toltec at her enemy, going in to Warrior mode. Try-Acid threw out his arm out to greet her with a plasma attack. The plasma exploded against the Toltec's shield and the Toltec ended up going straight through the body of Try-Acid, not bothering the enemy at all.

The Toltec turned sharply only to be splashed with Try-Acid's plasma. The force pushed the Toltec back. Kim grunted and drew her weapon. Charging back at him, she sliced through the green blob, aiming for one of his orbs. The orb shifted to the left and the energy blade of the axe passed through Try-Acid's body like it was cutting through a phantom.

"Dammit! Toltec, are you getting anything from your scans?" Kim inquired as she moved to attack again.

"Nothing yet," the Toltec replied, earning a growl from its pilot.

"Keep looking! Drakken has never in his life made something without a weakness!" Kim grunted as Try-Acid rocked the suit with his next violent assault.

"On it!" the Toltec replied with vigor.

Kim kept her attention on their enemy. She slashed at him again, targeting his orbs, and the orbs shifted again. She snarled impatiently, attempting to figure out how to defeat Try-Acid. She used a monitor to keep track of her team and saw that they were having some difficulty with zombie-clones now swarming them.

"Everybody, go into Warrior mode, now," Kim ordered before her Paladin almost dropped from the pressure of Try-Acid's attack.

The other Paladins went into Warrior mode. They were able to regain control of their situation rapidly while Kim turned back to Try-Acid. He pushed and smoke rose off of the shield. Kim checked the gauge.

"Shields are reaching their limits," the Toltec reported.

"Maintain as best you can," Kim replied.

"No big."

-8-8-8-8-

Betty and Hyperion moved through the fortress with relative ease since she was basically a cyborg and he was almost invulnerable. Plus, Hyperion had powerful long-range attacks to clear their path. They were in position long before anyone else.

"What should we do?" Hyperion inquired.

"Keep an eye out for enemies while I take command of the console," Betty ordered as she charged over to the computer. Taking a wire from her arm, she connected to the computer. "I'm in. Wade, I'm in. Are you even close yet?"

"We're almost there! There are land mines everywhere we go and fucking Bebes everywhere!" Wade replied.

"Director, do what you can without them!" Shego ordered.

"Are you in position yet?" Betty inquired.

"If you can get the large, automatic weapons off of my ass, I will be there!" Shego answered. "Amy, you haven't checked in. Are you all right?"

"All right? We're lucky to be alive! The path to the lab is covered from top to bottom!" Amy answered.

"Director, can you do something for us?" Tim asked.

"I'll try!" Betty stated, typing away at the keyboard. Pictures of the area came up on the monitors around the room. Hyperion glanced at the monitors and then focused on the one showing the battle outside.

"Kim, you're the one fighting Try-Acid?" Hyperion inquired as he saw the Paladin facing Try-Acid. He did not know who piloted which one yet, but Kim had called the fight against Try-Acid.

"Yeah," Kim grunted.

"He's weak to electricity. It's the only way to stop him," Hyperion reported. He watched as the Toltec was burned by the green beast and smoke rose from the suit.

"Got it!" Kim answered.

"Director, are you doing something or what?" Tim demanded.

"Working on it!" Doctor Director huffed.

Hyperion turned to see if there was an image of DNAmy and the Possible twins. There was and they were beyond pinned. The lab seemed to be the best-guarded area in the whole place. There were Bebes, zombie-clones, other robots, guns, and everything else. Drakken clearly did not want that space taken.

"I don't think they'll be able to make it to the lab," Hyperion noted.

"That makes two of us," Betty muttered. Looking around at the monitors and what was on the hard drive itself was just as disheartening. "Shit! We might never be able to make it through this mess! What the hell did Drakken put on these dammed computers?"

"Let's see if we can sync," Wade suggested.

"You're in position?" Betty asked.

"Yeah, looking at the same general insanity as you now that the Bebes by us have finally succumb to the virus," Wade replied.

"That's being kind about it," Trin snorted.

"Stop bitching and get to work!" Shego ordered. The chatter stopped and everyone could hear the clacking of the keyboards over their Kimmunicators.

-8-8-8-8-

Drakken laughed maniacally as yet another poor soul was sacrificed at his feet. His laughter ceased, though, as his beady onyx caught sight of the battle outside. Shego's forces were clearly in control and in more than the battlefield.

"Why are my Bebes fighting against me!" he screamed in shock. More than a majority of the Bebes that he fielded were now fighting against his clones and loyal Bebes. "That traitorous bitch has somehow even turned my robots against me!"

Furious, he waved in another victim before a minute passed. The person's throat was only not slit, but he was nearly decapitated by the assault. Drakken chuckled.

"Do you see what you're doing Shego? You killed these people and you'll keep killing people, unless you surrender!" the scientist screamed, making sure the pile of bodies was flashed on the monitor. Of course, no surrender was forthcoming.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim focused on Try-Acid as the Toltec's sensors indicated that the shields were down. The plasma was eating away at parts of the Paladin and Try-Acid cackled, as victory seemed to certainly be his now that Kim could not hit the orbs. The redhead racked her brain for some type of electricity that she could use against them.

"Toltec, we need some electricity to try we're screwed! You're about to lose your left arm," Kim pointed out. In fact, according to the monitors the left arm was going to be the least of their problems.

"All of my weapons are thermo energy," the Toltec replied.

"I've got it!" Kim shouted as she moved out of the way of more plasma. Try-Acid was spraying the acid-based plasma everywhere.

Kim pulled back the Toltec's poleaxe and snapped it in half over her knee. Sidestepping Try-Acid's arm, she shoved one end into the out stretched limb. The electricity popped and crackled before buzzing through Try-Acid. His laughter instantly morphed into screams of pain. Kim pulled a side arm with the Toltec's now free hand.

"Make these shots count!" Kim ordered the Toltec.

"Targets locked on, Kim!" the Toltec practically whooped.

The redhead fired several shots, directly hitting several orbs. They sparked and exploded inside of Try-Acid, who lost the ability to hold up the right side of his body. He shifted the orbs with the hope of keeping himself together while expelling the foreign object that Kim had lodged in his arm.

"I'll kill you!" Try-Acid roared.

The jade-colored monster charged and the Toltec jumped over him. Kim jabbed the other end of the fizzing weapon threw his head, into the orb there. He threw his hands up to scream while Kim aimed for the remaining four orbs, knowing that she needed to take all of those out before Try-Acid turned around.

Four shots sounded, traveling into Try-Acid with ease. They sailed through the orbs, causing a hissing noise followed by a spark. Try-Acid did not get a chance to scream before the orbs blew up and his body dissolved, wetting the dry earth with his very being. Stream rose from the damp ground, but nothing moved. Kim breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear that he was not going to reform and then focused on her team.

"Let's go rejoin the group," Kim said.

-8-8-8-8-

"We're opening a path to the lab! Jim, Tim, you guys might be able to control the zombie-clones from there," Wade reported.

"We're on the move now. We should be there in no time," Tim answered.

"It's right up ahead," Amy stated.

Amy, Tim, and Jim had a much smoother run once their side gained control of the computers and figured out how to stop the guns. Wade also sent infected Bebes to help out. They made it to the lab and tried to do their best with it.

"We're at the lab!" Tim reported.

"It's gorgeous!" Amy could not help saying as she took in the magnificent lab and then she noticed the glares the twins gave her. "What? It is! Now, if only it wasn't being used for evil."

They snorted and then broke apart. Amy went to scout the lab and secure whatever she could. She gasped loudly as she came to the cloning section. There was hundreds tubes, mostly empty, but her eyes strayed to a couple of tubes with floating girls inside of them.

"I have to get them out. They might be able to be saved," Amy realized and began moving.

-8-8-8-8-

"Adam, no!" Drakken screamed as he watched his son sink into a pool of liquid jade, unable to reform. "And my lab! They're in my lab, ruining it! They're like venomous rodents! They're monsters! Monsters!" Tears poured down his face.

"Don't confuse us with you, Drakken," Shego said menacingly as she pushed into the office.

"Shego!" he gasped, turning his full attention to her.

"Yeah, doc. Now, why don't you go peacefully because no one's around to help you? My people have control of everything," Shego informed him.

"Never! I'll kill you like I meant to twenty five years ago!" Drakken declared and he hit a button on his wheelchair. He cackled for a few seconds until he realized nothing happened.

"Give it up, doctor D. It's over," she stated.

"It's not over until I say it's over! I'll never forgive you for what you did to me and to Adam!" Drakken then pressed every button on his right wheelchair handle. An alarm immediately blared with red lights flashing and he began cackling again. "Now, you'll die like the dog you are when this whole place explodes!"

"You psycho! You'll kill yourself, too," she pointed out.

"I don't care! I just went you to die already! And if I have to destroy my city and life's work for that to happen then so be it!" he proclaimed.

"Shit! Everybody, pull back! Pull back!" The order was too late as explosions sounded through the place. Drakkenium went up in a blazing, orange and red mushroom cloud with dust and debris devouring the land all around.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: has Drakken given Junior his victory?


	59. 5:10: the Visigoths

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

A/N: this is dedicated to all hurricane Sandy survivors and victims. Lots of love for everyone.

5.10: The Visigoths

Cripple mad scientist known as Doctor Drakken wiped Drakkenium off of the map with the simple push of a button. Rubble and ruins were left in the wake of the massive explosion, which had actually been a series of smaller explosions. Shego and her forces had been in the middle of it all. Shego rose from the debris like a dragon emerging from its lair. An emerald aura fanned around her, flickering as if it was a jade fire.

There was a piercing ringing in her ears that she ignored. Her eyes took in the destruction that surrounded her. Her mind immediately went into a panic because she did not see any signs of life. Pulling her feet out of rubbish, she began walking in the direction that she faced.

"Kim!" Shego called, stumbling as she crossed the collapsed building. "Kim! Come on, Princess! Show me something, Princess! Give me a sign, baby!"

Emerald eyes stayed sharp, waiting for someone from her troops to show that they were made of sterner stuff, especially her lover. She refused to believe that Kim had gone gently into that good night. Kim would never lose to Drakken. She would never leave their daughter. She would not give Shego a taste of having a life with her only to die shortly after.

"Kim!" Shego screamed to the heavens. Raising her voice made her head throb, but she did not care. She dropped to her knees and dug through the pile that she was on.

In the distance, the Paladins pushed up out of the dirt, but the Toltec was missing. Shego noticed them and bolted over to the suits. She fell a few times, but made it as the pilots were escaping their Paladins. They were in worse shape compared to Shego.

The way that Joss' arm dangled and how she slammed her shoulder against the nearest hard, upright surface suggested dislocated shoulder. Tara had blood flowing down her face while Bonnie's nose was clearly broken and Monique's prosthetic leg was cracked, bits poking through her pants. She wobbled on the mangled limb, almost falling over. Monique's nearest teammates went to her side to help her.

"What the hell happened?" Monique screamed, which was good because Shego was able to hear her over the ringing in her ears.

"Drakken self-destructed the whole city when it was obvious that he lost!" Shego answered.

"Why are you yelling?" Tara asked, but the western ruler could not hear.

"You have to speak up! I was at the center of the explosion and my hearing is gone for now!" Shego informed.

"Where's everybody else?" Bonnie shouted.

"I don't know! We need to search and be careful! Junior probably saw that and might be trying something while we're down!" Shego told them.

They nodded and silently decided that they would have better luck searching for people in their Paladins. Bonnie and Tara helped Monique back into the Celt. Joss stayed close by in case they needed her help. Once Monique was secure, the other pilots went to their suits.

"Try to contact someone! Kimmunicators can take a lot of punishment! And if you guys made it, the Toltec should be around here, too!" Shego hollered.

"We're on it!" the pilots and Paladins all answered.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior watched as Drakkenium went up in smoke, leveling almost the entire territory at once. He was pleased that Drakken had chosen to blow up all of Drakkenium rather than surrender to that traitorous bitch Shego. While he had lost Drakken and Try-Acid along with that territory, he was also rid of Shego and all opposition to his rule. He had some damage control to do, but the world was now his. He had won.

"The world is ours, Father," Junior declared, making a strong fist.

His joy was short lived as his monitors went black and he gasped in shock. Briefly, a burning sensation rose in his chest and his stomach dropped into his feet. _Is Shego here? Is she alive?_ As a cold bead of sweat trailed down his cheek and a second past with nothing happening, he realized that he had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"There's no way she survived that," he decided.

He assumed the explosions disrupted the transmission. He called for servants to fix the electronics. Once that was settled, he would go inspect ground zero to make sure his enemies, especially Shego, were all dead. He would collect whatever bodies were left and then travel to Isabella to let the people of Kimber know that there was finally a New World Order.

-8-8-8-8-

Amy transformed from a pterosaur into her true self and rubbed her arms, which had been used to shield what she could. Many of the animals with her picked themselves up as she looked at what was left of Drakken's lab. He had done well to destroy it and whatever secrets it might have held. Still, she looked and something caught her eye, so she marched over to it.

"Oh, my god. Bring me Trin, Kim, and Shego!" Amy ordered the nearest creatures, who charged off to do her bidding. The next closest animals received similar orders. "Find my husband!" Those animals ran off. "The rest of you, search for survivors, both on our side and more like this."

All of the animals moved and Amy turned her attention back to her find. Several long minutes later, the animals returned with everyone that she asked for. Shego appeared furious and took two powerful steps toward Amy before stopping dead in her tracks.

"Princess!" Shego breathed and moved toward to Kim, who climbed off of a big cat that had retrieved her.

Kim barely had time to realize what was going on as Shego engulfed her in a tight hug. Showering Kim's dusty features with wet kisses, Shego could barely contain tears. Kim returned the hug, not caring that they had an audience. Clearly, Shego needed this.

"Thank God. I thought you were dead," Shego whispered.

"Me and the Toltec are made of sterner stuff," Kim remarked with a smile, flexing her bicep. Of course, she was hardly unscathed. Blood poured down the side of her face and her left arm and her clothing was torn all the way down to power suit.

Shego chuckled a bit and cupped Kim's face with both hands. Kim smiled again, more to reassure her lover than anything else. That was enough for Shego, who turned her attention to Amy, but she did not let go of Kim.

"Why'd you drag us over here?" Shego asked Amy, who was tucked under Wade just as Kim was tucked under Shego. Wade had seen better days and would undoubtedly need medical attention soon enough.

"Drakken had a row of tubes in his lab and, well, most of them were empty. Others, not so much," Amy replied while motioning to her discovery.

The assembled group looked down into a hole, which had parts of a collapsed wall covering it. They stepped closer for a better look and gasped at the sight, even though they were not totally sure what they were looking at since detritus blocked their full view. Kim and Shego wasted no time trying to get closer, sliding down into the hole to make sense of the object. Trin and Wade followed as Amy directed her animals to go out for more survivors as they began returning with people.

"Oh my god," Shego muttered, staring at Amy's find. While she still could not see the whole thing as it was buried under more debris, she could make out what was in it.

Kim, being the smallest person in the hole both in height and weight, was able to get the closest. She had to duck under several flat, angled stones that had miraculously formed an arch over one of Drakken's tanks. She had to lie down and wiggle to confirm that they were looking at what they thought.

"It's two babies! I don't know if they're still alive or not! There's what looks like a port for me to connect my Kimmunicator to. Maybe it has useful data," Kim said.

"Connect and then sync with me and Trin," Wade replied.

"Okay." Kim grunted as she struggled to turn to do as suggested. She also took the time to inspect the tube. "There's no damage to the tank as far as I can tell!"

"There's a ton of data in that thing," Wade said as he scrolled through the information filtering into his Kimmunicator.

"Can it tell us something important? Like are those babies alive?" Shego demanded with a snarl.

"Heart rate and brain function are there. We need to get them out of there. The tank is keeping them alive, but it's running low on power since it's no longer connected to a power source," Trin answered.

"Amy! We need to dig this out right now!" Shego shouted.

"I only have a couple of animals to spare!" Amy replied.

"Bring them! We've got babies down here!"

Amy directed the animals as Kim crawled out of the hole. Looking around, she could see more of the animals bringing in more of their troops. Amy continued to order them about, making sure that they brought the military back together.

"What do we do now?" Kim asked Shego as she looked around at what used to be a massive fortress.

"We press on. We regroup and try to get to Junior before he gets to us," Shego replied.

"We've got time. We uploaded a bunch of viruses and problems onto Junior's computer as soon as we found a route to it. We should be fine. If we get ourselves together soon, we can go to the exact spot the flying Citadel is hovering," Wade informed them.

"Good work, techies," Shego said with a smile.

They waited around for the tube to be extracted and checked as more people were brought over. Orders were being barked out, but they rarely came from Shego. The western ruler was preoccupied with the babies being lifted to the surface. She felt Kim squeeze her hand as the tank was eased onto solid ground.

Trin went to get a better look while Shego and Kim stayed out of her way. They could see the two babies, but they were hard to make out in the green-tinted liquid inside of the tube. Trin waved Wade over to check the electronic maze of locks. He did a short inspection.

"Is there a safe way to open it?" Wade wondered aloud.

"I was hoping you'd have the answer to that," Trin pointed out.

"Wade, please," Kim whimpered.

Shego put her arm around the redhead's waist and pulled her close. "It'll be fine. Trust them." She kissed Kim's cheek.

As Wade worked, Betty and Shin (the non-cute one) came over to find out what was going on. They joined the effort while Trin went through whatever information was in the tank's database. A loud, continuous beeping caused everyone to jump back.

The liquid in the tank drained out of a small hole underneath the tank. Once the green liquid was out, a door popped open near the base. Trin moved in, freeing the babies while calling for her gear. The babies were quiet, which just made Kim and Shego hold each other tighter.

"Being that quiet isn't a good thing when it comes to babies," Kim whispered.

"It'll be okay. Trin knows what she's doing. Soon, you'll be thinking about how you want them to go back to being quiet," Shego remarked with a forced smile.

The couple waited on pins and needles with more and more of the troops gathering behind them. It seemed like an eternity passed and Trin worked up a sweat. Cries broke through the dark, deafening silence and Kim released a happy sob. Trin actually smiled as she beckoned the pair over.

"You two have two perfectly healthy baby girls. They haven't been chipped yet, so I didn't have to do any surgery. They're young, around three months old, may be younger. They're just over ten pounds. They can prop themselves up on their elbows, which is usually a milestone for three month olds. They're not teething or anything. I'd be able to narrow down things more in my office. I'm not really equipped to do more than give them a clean bill of health," Trin explained.

"That's more than enough for now," Shego replied and Kim could only nod.

"From what I gleamed for the information that Kim pulled out of the tanks database, they're Drakken's first set of experimental twins. They are your daughters according to the DNA records. If he was brainwashing then already, that data was wiped out," Trin reported.

"Are there anymore clones around here?" Kim asked.

Amy shook her head. "I sent my animals to look, but they haven't come back with any others. We'll have to wait to hear from them, but I think the two little ones might be it. I can't be sure, though."

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, we've still got business to handle," Shego proclaimed. Of course, for someone talking about business, it was a little hard to believe her as she was staring at the babies, obviously desperate to hold them. She held off, knowing that they needed to take care of business before she could safely get lost in any pleasure.

"We're going to continue fighting?" Amy asked, smiling as she watched the two mothers marvel over their newest children. She hated to realize that those were probably the only pair that made it as her animals never returned with any other clones and they had not led her to any other tanks.

"Of course! We're on the brink! Junior's blind for a couple of hours and probably thinks we're all dead! He'll never see it coming, so reassemble," Shego replied. "I want able bodies at one end, those that need quick medical attention at the other, so they can fight, and those who are out of it over here." She pointed to each direction.

While Shego was barking orders, Kim went to hold their daughters. Unable to decide which one to hold first, she picked them both up. Smiling down at them, they returned the expression with sparkling olive green eyes. One of them sported a fiery, untamed mane that matched Kim's and the other had Shego's dark, flowing hair. Kim interrupted Shego by easing them both into her arms.

"Oh," Shego yelped as they settled against her. Wide, curious eyes watched her. "Hey, there, momma's babies," she cooed. She went from fearless leader to adoring mother so quickly Kim almost wondered if she had a split personality.

"What are we going to do with them while we go fight Junior?" Kim asked while caressing the dark-haired baby's cheek. The child cooed and laughed.

"We'll have to trust them to the medical staff. I'd rather that. Doctor Blondie did a speedy check up, but they'll be able to monitor these cuties for a while and make sure they're fine outside of that tank."

Kim nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Do you think we could name them before we leave them?" She petted the redheaded baby.

"We're not leaving them. We're making the future better for them," Shego pointed out. She looked down at the smiling children in her arms. "I would like to name them, too." The twins ended up being the only babies that they would have to name.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Shego joined the rest of the leadership team to find out what they were working with. They had already left their twins with the medics that would be heading back to Henchipolis with the severely wounded and dead. The rest of them, less than half the original force that left Kimber, would face Junior. Everyone had been attended to as far as medical care was concerned and they had all checked their equipment.

"This one's for all of the peanuts. We ready for this?" Shego inquired.

"We can still knock Junior out of the sky as planned. Drakken had the fortress' coordinates on his computer. Junior's probably having a hell of a time with all of the viruses we managed to give him," Betty pointed out.

"So, our plan to hit Junior immediately is still on the tables?" Shego asked.

"You feel comfortable hitting him with half our forces and half of those are injured?" Tim countered with an arched eyebrow.

"What else can we do?" Kim said.

"We could turn around and regroup. Junior only has Junior left. He has no allies, no more weapons' suppliers, and no more army. Let him float in his fortress knowing he lost," Tim argued.

Wade laughed. "You don't believe that."

Tim sighed. "No, I don't, but I look around at these people and wonder if they have one last hurrah in them." His eyes went out to the soldiers, who were preparing for battle once again. He had to give up to them as they were a valiant bunch, but they were severely lacking now in all areas of warfare.

Shego smirked. "They do, which is why they're here. So, let's get this going. How are the missiles?"

"Good on the trucks. They were behind the high hills when Drakken tried to kill the lot of us," Shin replied.

"Paladins?" Shego asked.

"The Toltec has the most damage, having lost control to the left arm against Try-Acid. The others have minimum damage from the explosion," Kim reported.

"Wade, you and Tatsu make kick-ass battle shields. You saved a lot of lives." Shego patted him on the shoulder.

"That's what I'm here for," Wade replied with a shrug.

"So, get together what's left of your units. Trin, go with Wade's unit since your medics are mostly heading back to Henchipolis. Fold your others into Wade's unit," Shego ordered.

Trin nodded and Shego went back to barking out commands to get everyone ready for their crazy surprise attack. Of course, their whole invasion had been crazy, so they might as well end it on that note. Besides, luck seemed to be on their side and they had the momentum. They would use that against Junior and show him that he had been a fool to think he could rule the world.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim went to check on her team while everyone else was getting ready for the attack. They had to run thorough checks on the Paladins because they were essential to grounding the flying citadel. Once they were certain their suits were ready, the pilots gathered together.

"Are we ready for this?" Kim asked.

"More than ready!" Monique replied. She was being held up by Joss because she had not bothered to get her prosthetic leg fixed. She did not need it to pilot the Celt.

"Let's destroy Junior!" Bonnie proclaimed with grit as she made a tight fist.

"We're leading the charge again. Are we all comfortable with going out and trying the Demigod Mode for the first time in real life?" Kim asked to be sure.

"We should only need it the one time and we were all great in the sims, even though I know simulations and real life are two different animals," Tara pointed out.

Kim nodded. "We're going to draw Junior's attention, so they can fire the ground missiles at the fortress. We have to make sure to fire all of our missiles, okay?"

Bonnie put her hand on Kim's shoulder. "We're ready for this, Kim. You trained us, prepared us for this. We're ready."

Kim nodded. "Then let's all make it out of this alive and enjoy a world without Junior. Have families and friends. Have gatherings and celebrations. Just live, and live well."

"Definitely," they all agreed.

"Good because I just had twins and they need aunts," Kim said with a grin.

"And they need a mom, so don't do something reckless," Joss told her cousin with a grin of her own, patting the redhead on the shoulder.

"Let's go make history," Kim declared. Her team cheered and they loaded into their Paladins. They were ready to go.

Once the Paladins took off, the rest of the army got into position. Originally, they had planned to bring Junior's citadel down far off into the desert, away from everything. But, they did not have the time and there was no way that the army would be able to make that march. Their last stand would be where Drakken had tried to murder all of them.

"Be careful," Shego whispered to the departing Paladins, more specifically to Kim. She then turned her attention back to getting everyone where they needed to be.

The Paladins did not have a long flight to where Junior's Citadel hovered. He was a few miles from Drakkenium and they were going to have to drive him closer. Kim directed everyone into position.

"On my mark, we let the first set of missiles fly and then go right into Demigod Mode," Kim instructed them. "Be prepared for his automatic defenses if they're operational."

"Right."

The team sat themselves up behind and to the left of the fortress. Missiles flew from the Paladins' shoulders. The projectiles blasted against Junior's precious home and the pilots cheered as the missiles did their jobs, cutting into their enemy's fortress.

-8-8-8-8-

Junior was thrown out of his chair as his citadel rocked from two directions. He tumbled to the floor and banged his head against the back wall. Growling, he called for a status report as blood oozed from his eyebrow.

"We're under attack!" a servant called in a panic.

"By whom?" the Emperor roared as he pulled himself up from the floor. He would slaughter anyone that witnessed his fall later.

"We still haven't gotten the monitors up to see!"

"Then fucking get them up! And attack, goddamn it!" Junior commanded in a tone that promised death to all of his enemies and anyone else that might get on his nerves. The fortress rocked harder and sirens blared. "Get us a safe distance away and then destroy them! Do I have to do everything myself?"

He could hear his slaves scurrying around like rodents to follow his commands. Monitors finally came to life to reveal what Junior would have thought were ghosts if only they were not machines. The Paladins were flying next to his home, appearances changed.

"Are they demons? Possessed?" Junior wondered aloud.

The Paladins certainly looked demonic. Spikes covered their bodies and horns of different types sprouted from their helmets. Metallic wings came from their backs and then more missiles flew the Citadel's way. Because the explosions and rocking was less severe that time, he guessed that they were moving and able to dodge some of the weapons.

"Blast them out of the sky!" Junior commanded.

-8-8-8-8-

"Here comes the counterattack!" Kim announced as missiles came their way. The Paladins reacted faster than even the Bebes could. The flurry of missiles whizzed by while the Paladin pilots were trying to stay conscious from the speed.

"Whoa, that made me a bit dizzy," Tara admitted.

"Yeah, that force was not that strong in the sims," Bonnie said, fighting off tunnel vision.

"Stay focused and aware!" Kim ordered, even though her head was spinning a bit, too.

"And try not to throw up!" Joss whooped while attempting to take her own advice.

They continued after Junior, driving him and dodging his attacks. They then had to take position to let their last set of missiles fly. They spread the metal wings, making the Paladins look like avenging angels. A barrage of missiles blazed out of the wings as if they were falling feathers. It was by far the most missiles that they unleashed.

There was no way for the Citadel to avoid all of the missiles and they mostly connected, knocking out the shield, opening Junior up to what was coming next. As the Paladins zipped out of the way of Junior's missiles and lasers, their ground forces let their missiles go.

"Ladies, get the hell out of there!" Jim called to them.

The Paladins dived down, needing to get out of the path of the ground-to-air missiles. The powerful projectiles lit up the sky in ways the heavens could only envy. The blast impact actually blew the Paladins down to the ground while blowing open the Citadel. The massive fortress followed the suits to the rocky ground blow.

-8-8-8-8-

"What the hell is going on?" Junior screamed as he found himself on the floor again.

"We've been hit! We're plummeting right out of the sky and losing pressure at the middle levels!" a slave reported.

"We've got to brace for impact!" another hollered.

"Get troops ready!" Junior commanded.

He refused to be brought down by roaches, which apparently refused to die. Silently, he cursed Drakken's incompetence. _Too stupid to even successfully pull off a suicide bombing_. He scowled as he prepared for the crash. In that time, he furiously thought of ways to punish and destroy Shego and her idiotic followers for daring to be alive.

He grabbed a few weapons before going to a safe space in his office. He would walk through Shego's forces himself if necessary. He would never let her have his birthright. _The world is ours, Father_.

-8-8-8-8-

The Flying Citadel descended rapidly, looking like a massive, falling castle. When it hit the ground, it sounded like a thunderclap and boomed like an erupting volcano. It pushed up a dust storm and rocks flew like jagged bullets. Pieces of it shattered, splintered, and followed the natural debris. Thankfully, the area that it came down in was clear of people.

As soon as the dust cleared, the Paladins were up and still in Demigod mode. The Toltec was now completely missing its left arm. The Comanche lost the lower parts of its metal wings and the Qin was minus its left wing.

"We all still alive?" Kim asked with a groan.

"Alive and ready," Joss answered. "Although feeling some pain."

"My right hand is malfunctioning," the Zulu reported.

"It's okay. Everyone's running low on power. I didn't think Demigod mode would use so much juice, but then again, we have been fighting without a charge for a while now. Give the army as much cover as possible for them to get into the Citadel," Kim replied. "Fight with your all! This time tomorrow, the world will be free of this monster!"

The pilots cheered just as the Citadel opened fire. The Paladins returned fire and Shego ordered the army forward. Battle cries were loud enough to be heard over the gunshots. "Death to Junior!"

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the final battle.

A/N: the twins belong to NoDrogs. I didn't want to spoil their appearance by mentioning this in the beginning.


	60. 5:11: Ostrogoths

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. The twins, Kasy Ann and Sheki belong to NoDrogs. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

5.11: Ostrogoth

Junior could not believe that Shego had the balls to charge his Citadel, even if it was grounded. But, he knew why she was coming in. Little did she know, but he would kill every slave in his realm before he allowed her to free them and he would do worse than that to her precious brothers. He smiled.

"I'll give her some help in that department. A family reunion will do her some good," Junior decided. First, he would give her the family reunion and then he would have his way with her until he grew bored with the sport. "Give Shego just what she wants!" Junior ordered.

-8-8-8-8-

"Stay together!" Shego warned her troops as they made their way into the Citadel through the massive hole made by their rockets. The inside was as massive as the outside led them to believe. "Shit, this is like being onboard the Death Star," she muttered.

"Can you have your geek moment when we're not being shot at?" Betty commented.

"And when might that be?" Shego remarked before they broke apart, going in opposite directions.

Thanks to Hench, they had a vague idea of the layout of the Citadel. He had really come in handy and Shego could only wonder why he chose to flee instead of joining them fully. Shego was on the hunt for Junior while Doctor Director was going to try shut the Citadel down with Wade, the Possible twins, Trin, and Shin. Shego had Shadow Hand and his top ninjas with her as well as Hyperion.

Most of the forces that they had to go through were Bebes, which showed signs of being infected with the virus. Many of them fought for a few seconds and then dropped to the floor in a heap. It seemed like they would have a clear path to Junior's office, but that all came crashing down when they turned a corner. Shego gasped.

"Bros?" Shego's voice trembled against that simple word.

But, it was clear something was wrong with Team Go. Their eyes were cold and blank. They were dressed in jet black instead of their team uniforms. There were thick, electronic collars around their necks that made Shego's stomach drop into her feet.

"We got this, Shego. Don't worry about it," Shadow Hand told her.

"Don't hurt them if you can help it," Shego pled.

"Don't worry, Auntie. We'd never purposely harm your brothers," Ryujin assured her.

"Just get going!" Shadow Eyes ordered the western leader.

Team Go charged the group with the Wegos making dozens of clones, filling the corridor. Shego flared her powers and bowled through the copies like a wrecking ball. Hego turned to follow his sister, but Shadow Hand appeared in between them.

"Dance with me, big guy. We can see whose blue glow is stronger." Shadow Hand was quickly covered in a sky blue aura, which he flared.

Hego growled like a wild animal, flaring his own glow slightly and charging at Shadow Hand. He took a wild swing at the ninja, who dodged. The large man's fists went clean through the metal wall and he pulled it back, clearly unfazed. He turned right back to Shadow Hand, still growling.

"Don't hurt him too much," Shadow Eyes reminded their leader.

"I haven't even touched him," Shadow Hand replied, ducking another punch directed at his head. Hego was powerful, but slow. The master ninja assumed that he could dodge the larger man all day.

While Shadow Hand ducked and avoided Hego, his sister, son, and Hyperion handled the other brothers. The Wego twins continued to make copies of themselves, which made movement almost impossible in the now tightly packed corridor. The ninjas and Hyperion were almost pinned.

"If we hurt the copies, does that hurt the originals?" Hyperion asked.

"I remember Aunt Shego telling me that hitting the copies hurts them, but it won't kill them," Ryujin explained.

"Okay. Then, I'll take care of the copies, you two take down the originals," Hyperion said.

"Do your worst and don't worry about us," Shadow Eyes replied as she and her nephew leaped into action.

The pair sported similar glows like Shadow Hand and they went right for the original Wegos. Hyperion flared his flames, engulfing much of the hall in fire. The fire devoured the copies of the Wegos. But, just as those were gone more showed up, fighting off the ninjas with a style that was rather familiar to them.

"They fight like Shego, but much slower and kind of awkward," Shadow Eyes noted while ducking several Wego punches and sweeping them off of their feet.

"They didn't get to evolve like Aunt Shego and they probably haven't fought since they disappeared," Ryujin replied. "Shouldn't there be another one?"

As soon as that question left the blond's mouth, he found out that there was another one. Mego came up behind him and wrapped up his arms. Tons of Wegos piled onto the teenage warrior.

"Ryujin!" Shadow Hand growled, but he could not say much beyond that because Hego showed that he was faster than the ninja first assumed.

The former hero's fist slammed into the side of Shadow Hand's head. He barely could register the fact that he was hit. It was like being punched by a high-speed train. He went flying down the hall and through several walls. Showing how fast he was, Hego was on the ninja in a flash, wrapping his hands Shadow Hand's throat. The shinobi was in danger of having his head popped clean off of his shoulders.

"Get off!" Shadow Hand roared as his aura exploded around them, bringing down the walls surrounding them and blowing the larger man off of him.

Hego was embedded in the ceiling briefly, but righted himself as he was falling. Shadow Hand was on him before he knew it, though. A black booted foot connected with Hego's squared jaw, knocking him off balance. Hego did not go down, though, swinging at the master ninja.

Shadow Hand caught his fist and pushed him back. The shinobi attacked with several well-placed punches to the chest and he finished it off with a harsh punch to the chin. A tooth flew out of Hego's mouth when the punch landed, but Hego did not flinch. In fact, he stepped forward, showing no signs of being hurt.

"Of course, he's not going to show signs of being hurt. He's being controlled. Junior probably has him programmed to go until he dies, if only to get as much out of Hego and hurt Shego at the same time," Shadow Hand realized.

Ducking a punch, Shadow Hand wondered how he could stop Hego short of killing him. The former hero was stronger than any tank and obviously would not give up. Glancing up, he remembered that Hego was wearing a strange collar. He would go for that first and hope to hell something good happened when he broke the damned thing. If that did not work, he would probably have to knock Hego unconscious, if that were even possible.

Shadow Hand blocked several punches from the hulking man. The strength behind those blows began to make Shadow Hand's arms throb and he was certain that if he were not careful, the former hero would break his arm just from defending, even with his mystical monkey powers. Cosmic powers seemed to trump mystical powers as far as raw strength seemed to go.

Hego switched tactics and stomped hard, causing a small earthquake. The floor flew out from Shadow Hand and Hego. They plummeted to the floor beneath them and both landed on their feet. Hego came at the ninja like a truck, barely pausing to get his feet under him. Shadow Hand weaved the punch and pushed the outreached arm out of the way. He lunged, hitting Hego in the throat with hand.

The former hero gagged while the collar around his neck shattered. The pieces sprinkled to the damaged floor. Hego's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backward. Shadow Hand fell to his side to check his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Shego would have had his head if there were no heartbeat.

"Now to see about the others," Shadow Hand muttered.

He figured that Hego should be all right on his own since he was supposedly almost indestructible. Besides, the hall that they were in was empty and he doubted Hego would regain consciousness soon anyway. Finding his way back to the original fight, he found Shadow Eyes and Ryujin both bathed in blue auras, but drowning in a sea of red.

"Is the no limit on how many copies they can make?" Shadow Eyes huffed as her back hit the ceiling just from the pushed up by the numbers.

"That's it!" Ryujin growled as he flung several Wegos off of him. He barreled toward the twins.

"Break the collar!" Shadow Hand called to the teen as he held off some of the clones.

"I'm on it!" Ryujin's aura flared higher, forming something that looked like a screeching monkey.

He dived at one of the twins, who actually surprised the boy by dodging. Ryujin recovered by spinning into a kick move that the Wego blocked. His aura flared again as he moved into another attack, coming at the Wego with a palm strike that was blocked, but he expected that.

Ryujin went into a series of rapid moves, drawing his opponent in. As soon as he had the Wego locked in, he flared his aura again, breeching the Wego's defense and engulfing his red glow. The Wego grabbed his arm with both hands, but Ryujin had the collar. The blond ninja growled and gave a powerful yank.

The collar came off, shattering in Ryujin iron grip, and the Wego's hands dropped. The Wego then dropped as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Half of the copies instantly vanished and Ryujin turned his attention to the rest of them. The last Wego was up to Shadow Eyes and she was all over that task.

Shadow Eyes was in the other Wego's face with her foot in his throat. She growled as she backed off of that attack because it had not broken the collar. As the Wego lunged for her, she ducked and grabbed his shirt. Flipping him over her head, she slammed him into the ground only to have him kick her in the head. As she backed away, he spun to his feet.

"You got some bite to you, huh? I shouldn't expect anything less from Shego's baby bro," Shadow Eyes commented.

The Wego did not respond, not that she expected a response from a zombie. Going in again, she looked for an opening while attacking with rapid punches to keep his attention. She dodged a few counters before knocking his hands down and coming at him with roundhouse kick to the neck.

The power behind the blow flung the Wego several yards away, only stopping when he hit a steel beam. The collar snapped off of his neck and he fell to the floor in a heap. Ryujin turned to his aunt.

"What happened to not killing them!" the blond teen shouted in disbelief.

"That didn't kill him … I don't think," she replied in a sheepish tone and she went to check on his pulse to make sure.

"What happened to the other one?" Ryujin asked curiously, looking around.

"I froze his collar a while ago," Hyperion replied as if it was so simple. He nodded to where Mego was laid out, unconscious with a bare neck.

"Then, I guess the rest is up to Shego," Shadow Hand said, looking ahead or them. Junior was the last man standing.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego found her way to Junior's office simply by asking slaves, who were hanging all of their hope on her killing him. Hell, even some of his soldiers and bodyguards lowered their weapons, allowing her to pass. Before she went to the point of no return, she silently vowed not to let them down.

Shego entered the room with a confident smirk on her face. "Been waiting long?" she asked in her usual smart-aleck tone. "Your receptionist didn't want to move my appointment early," she remarked as she noticed that he was sitting at his desk and was cool as could be. The office itself looked horrid, which was to be expected from the crash. She could only wonder if he had actually forced people to right his desk afterwards.

Junior had the nerve to look her in the eye and smile. She smiled back. He could not rattle her, not when she was so certain that she had his number. Doctor Porter had given her and the rest of the military the run down on the thing that made Junior think he was immortal – his armor.

Vivian had designed the armor especially for him and modified it several times over the years, even though he did not fight his own battles anymore. He had used it in battle many times before crowning himself emperor of the world and killed many people with it. It had helped him survive countless situations that would have left others as little more than dust. Supposedly, it could withstand being hit by a comet. Shego would put that theory to the ultimate test today.

"You made it here. I'm surprised. I guess you wanted me bad enough to actually kill your own brothers," Junior commented.

Emerald eyes rolled and she scoffed. "So, you gonna get up and dance or cry at your desk all day about your fallen empire? Bet your dad is proud." She knew that would get a rise out of him quite literally.

Junior snarled like a crazed animal as a wild look overtook his eyes. "Don't you dare say anything against my father, you heartless, worthless bitch! I'll destroy you and claim the world for him!"

For the second time, Junior flung his desk away, launching it across the room with ease, as if it was a flimsy book. Shego expected the super strength supplied by the armor. Now, she had to find out if he could do something with it beyond throw his weight around.

Junior charged her, showing off super speed also. His fist connected with her jaw, forcing her into the wall. She was surprised, but only briefly. The power drew blood from her lip, but she ignored it. As he came at her for another hit, she ducked his punch and clawed his belly, just wanting to see she could cut through the armor. As she expected, her nails just slid across the armor.

"Pathetic," Junior hissed, looking down at her with contempt and burning hatred tearing through his entire visage.

"Just what I was thinking," she remarked, blasting him in the face with her plasma.

Junior screamed in pain just from the flash of light. Shego's powers bounced off of a shield provided by the armor. So far, everything that Vivian told her about the armor was accurate, which meant that she had to cut the power tubes running through out the suit. _Which means I have to knock the shield out to get to the power tubes. Fucking Porter just couldn't be incompetent like Drakken, huh?_

"I'll kill you! You're so fucking dead!" Junior roared, his face flushed and his eyes wide with madness.

Grabbing Shego, he shoved her through the wall. She merely grunted, which seemed to piss him off. Picking her up by the throat, he flung her with all of his might, sending her flying for almost a mile through the massive fortress. She landed at Doctor Director's feet.

"What the hell happened to you?" Betty inquired.

"Remind me to slap your girlfriend when we get back home," Shego grumbled, speech slurred.

Betty could not figure out what the western ruler was talking about before Junior was in the room and in her face. He did not ask questions of her presence, just attacked with the ferocity of a crazed lion. Even with her cybernetic implants, Betty could hardly keep up with Junior, blocking attacks from him. Shego jumped up to come to her aid, but Junior seemed to only want to play with Shego.

Junior used energy from the armor to blow Betty far away from the fight, hitting her with a pulsing orb of blue energy. The cyborg was sent through several walls and the force took out her shield, allowing the energy beam to tear into her chest cavity. Betty would not get up again.

"You dead?" Shego screamed to the downed warrior. The response was groan, which Shego could only hope was not a death rattle.

The western ruler blazed her hands high and tried to cut threw the tube on Junior's shoulder. He turned and caught her wrist, throwing her again. Shego wondered if she would see the whole Citadel in this manner. She turned herself in the air and flared her whole body, gaining control of herself. She pushed off the next wall that she hit, meeting Junior head on with her body bursting bright emerald.

The two powerhouses clashed and caused an actual explosion that blew the Citadel apart. Shego was flung outside of the collapsing part of the fortress and she skidded across the dry, rocky desert floor. She did not move.

"Shego!" Kim screamed as she noticed the western ruler rolling across the desert.

The Paladin pilots had left the safety of their suits because the Paladins had run out of power in the Demigod Mode. They were merely returning fire to anyone in the Citadel and continuing to cover for their military. Kim left her cover from behind the Toltec and stones.

"Kim!" the others called.

"I have to get to Shego!" the redhead replied.

Kim took off for her lover only to be intercepted by a furious Junior. His face was severe and his eyes streaking with hatred. Even his hair seemed to be standing on it end, raging like the locks of Medusa. Kim did not care.

"Stay away from her!" the Legend screamed, pulling her staff out for up close combat.

Junior turned and his eyes widened, as if they were going to leap from his skull. "Kim Possible!" The way he said her name would have sent most other people running in the opposite direction in fear. He bellowed it, like blood-thirsty dragon.

Kim went to crack him with her staff, but he caught it with ease. Not to be deterred, Kim growled and spun into a kick. He caught her foot with his other hand. He was clearly not the Junior that she remembered.

"Let her go!" Bonnie ordered as she aimed a gun at her husband.

"Bonnie? You were with Shego all this time?" he demanded.

"It doesn't matter where I was. Let her go!" Bonnie ordered with a steady hand on her gun.

"Or you'll shoot? You'll hit her then," Junior pointed out as he pulled Kim closer, holding her upside down. Tossing the redhead up, he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed before Bonnie had a chance to even react. "I'll have popped her head off and killed you before you even pull the trigger, not that you have the courage to do that." He offered his wife a condescending and demonic smile.

"Don't tempt me."

Junior growled and moved, suddenly in front of Bonnie. She gasped, falling back into the dust. Kim was gagging and clawing at his hand, trying to escape. He glared menacingly at Bonnie briefly before a powerful blast to the back caused him to tumble forward. Snarling, he turned to see Shego standing, bathed in a halo of emerald and black to the point that it was making her hair dance wildly with her glow. Her powers seemed to even come out of her eyes.

"Leave them alone and let Kim go," Shego commanded in a deadly calm.

Junior chuckled and squeezed harder. Kim's eyes bugged out and then she went slack, struggling over. Shego moved so quickly that Junior did not notice anything beyond the jade flames trailing from the space that she had occupied. She planted her hand in the center of his chest, squeezing his armor like a wrinkled shirt.

"Monster!" Shego roared with her plasma even coming out of her mouth as she grabbed the arm that he held Kim with and crushed it with surprising ease.

Junior hollered as his bone snapped, his hand automatically releasing Kim. The redhead hit ground, unmoving. Seeing Kim on the ground made Shego howl in pain, her glow spiraling around and pushing upward like a green burning tornado.

Shego snapped on Junior like a ravenous lioness. Twirling, she brought her fiery foot across his face. He brought his arm up too late to block. Trying to push her away, he blasted her in the face with an energy beam. Her glow actually devoured his attack and seemed to mock him right after with swishing noises that sounded like laughter to his ears. He twisted his body, intent on stopping the laughter, but she did not give him a chance. Shego reached out with a flaming hand and ripped the glowing, teal tube from his shoulder. Her other hand grabbed onto his chest plate and savagely tore it off of his body.

"AHH!" Junior screamed as if Hell itself was pulling him under.

"You took my parents from me! Kidnapped and used my brothers! Set my brothers in a war against me! And now you've taken the love of my life and mother of my children! No more!" Shego raged and her glow consumed them both before drawing back in, imploding.

A blinding flash of jade light erupted from the pair before pulsing outward. A soft moan escaped Shego as she collapsed while Junior's armor shattered. He fell to the ground with a pained groan. Blood painted the dreary landscape beneath them, turning the dust almost black.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego woke up on a cot in the medical tent. Groaning, she made sure to keep down the urge to throw up, which was difficult considering her whole body throbbed. _What the hell happened? Feels like a house landed on me_. Just letting those thoughts go through her head caused her temples to pound. Her eyebrows even hurt. Glancing around, she saw Kim slumped in a chair next to her cot and their twins were asleep on a cot across from her.

The beautiful sight gave her hope and strength. Shego managed to sit up, causing blood to rush to her head and she suddenly recalled what happened. "I'm lucky I didn't kill myself using my powers that recklessly, not that I knew I could even do that. At least Kim is okay." With great strength, she reached out, caressing Kim's knee.

Pulling herself up to stand, she needed to find out what was going on and she needed food. The movement proved too much for her and she vomited once she was standing. Thankfully, it did not wake Kim or their adorably sleeping babies. Oddly enough, she felt better getting that out of the way. She continued on with her plan to see what was happening now. As soon as she stepped out of the tent, the whole camp exploded into cheers. There were applauds, whistling, and banging on things.

"Glad to see you up and awake. It's been two days," Trin commented as she came over.

"Just tell me Junior's dead and there's food," Shego replied.

"No and yes, but Junior isn't going to be able to hurt anyone else. You broke his arm in several places, gave him burns all over, broke most of his ribs, I can't even begin to describe his left leg, and gave him an assortment of other injuries. It's better that he lives. Let's him live with the knowledge that he failed," Trin stated.

"It's gotta be tearing him up inside," Bonnie commented with a chuckle.

Shego nodded. "Good. We'll need to figure out what to do with him, though. Him and his croonies that stuck by him. Did my brothers make it?"

"They're fine. Weak a bit and disorientated. They were being used to power the Flying Citadel. Apparently, somebody figured out how to harness the comet glows into batteries that never need to be recharged. It'll be a while before they're back to normal," Trin informed the western ruler.

A small smile worked its way onto Shego's face. "They're alive. That's good enough for me. What happened with Kim? Is she all right?"

The blond doctor waved it off. "Kim's fine. Some bruises around the neck, but nothing serious. I've already treated her."

"I figured as much. Thanks for that."

Trin nodded. "Yeah, just doing my job, both as a doctor and sister. Now, I'll have someone bring you some food. Don't leave Kim's sight. She freaked and thought you died when she regained consciousness. We're ready to move out at your command."

Shego nodded and went back into the tent. She met open olive eyes and smiled. Kim smiled back. Shego wordlessly went to her cot and lay down with her arms open. Kim took the hint and eased down into those loving arms. The pale woman kissed Kim's forehead.

"I thought I lost you," Shego muttered, holding Kim tightly.

"I know how you feel. I was so scared you weren't going to make it. You practically burned yourself out. Your skin was torn and split. Blood was coming from everywhere. It was awful, so awful," Kim replied, curling into Shego as close as she could.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm healed and I'm here. You're here and we don't have to worry about Junior anymore. We have our family and a future." The western ruler kissed Kim again. The redhead pushed herself up and gave Shego a proper kiss. A moan echoed through the tent, but they were not sure whom it was from. They were interrupted by Shego's stomach growling. They broke apart and chuckled.

-8-8-8-8-

The army returned to Kimber as celebrated heroes. They marched through villages, letting everyone see that Junior was caged. Shego allowed people to pelt him with garbage and rocks. As long as no one tried to kill him, she was fine with it. He was gagged, so he could not even scream as it happened.

People gave gifts to the passing soldiers. They gave food and quarter if the group stopped. When they came to Isabella, it was like the whole city was having a massive festival. The army was exhausted, so most of the warriors just went home. The Elect wanted to do the same, but Shego called a meeting before she and Kim even had a chance to take their twin daughters home.

"We need to do something about Junior ASAP. I don't want to have that hanging over us," Shego stated.

"Amy has cages," Wade pointed out.

"Sounds good. All prisoners should be stripped, searched, and held in animal cages. Meeting over!" Shego announced. They wasted no time getting out of the room and going home.

-8-8-8-8-

"Mom! Momma!" Shin cheered as the front door opened. She was standing in front of her mothers as soon as they entered the apartment. Her brow wrinkled when she saw that they were each holding small bundles.

"Shin, we have a surprise for you," Kim said with a smile.

"You beat the evil Emperor!" Shin proclaimed with a certainty because her mothers did not lose.

"Yeah, we did. Kicked his butt just for you, Peewee!" Shego declared, grinning.

Shin cheered while her mothers went to sit down with their bundles. They smiled at Jessie, who was on the couch with a book in her lap. Kim waved her over.

"Shin, Jessie, meet our twins," Kim said as she removed the blanket from the redheaded baby. "This is Kasy Ann."

Shego did the same for the dark-haired child. "And, this is Sheki."

"Oh, my god. They are so cute," Jessie cooed and then she grabbed her charge by the shoulders, hugging the girl. "Shin, you're a big sister."

"Big sister?" Shin echoed, scratching the side of her head.

"Yes, baby. You're a big sister. You have to love and protect them. You have to look out for them. When they get bigger, you can show them how to have fun," Kim explained with a bright smile.

Shin nodded, but her brow was still furrowed. "Will they love me?"

"They will adore you," Shego promised with a smile. "We're a family."

Shin smiled, too. "Then I'll be the best big sister ever!"

Kim laughed while Shego rubbed the little girl's head. Olive eyes then went to Jessie. She smiled at the teen.

"You'll help her, right?" Kim requested.

"Of course, and you know I'm here when you need a babysitter," Jessie replied.

"You're the first person we'll think of. Now, you go and handle your affairs," Shego said.

Jessie took a deep breath and nodded. She gave Shin another hug and looked at the parents again, smiling at them. She then left the now family of five. She had to talk with Ryujin. She called him and told him to meet her in a park. He eagerly agreed.

They hugged as soon as they saw each other and sat down on a bench. Ryujin, feeling bold, leaned in for a kiss. Jessie stopped him, putting her index finger to his puckered lips. He yelped in surprise and blushed.

"Forgive me! I don't know what came over me!" he apologized.

"That's not it, Ryujin. I have something really important to tell you. Once I tell you, you can kiss me if you want to. In fact, I hope you want to. All right?"

He nodded and took a deep breath. "All right."

Jessie took a deep breath. "Ryu, I'm sure you've heard, but ignored that Doctor Vivian Porter is my mother. She is my mother. She built me."

His face scrunched up. "Built you?"

She sniffled. "I'm a Bebe."

"A Bebe?" he sounded even more confused than before.

She nodded. "My mom made me as a Bebe. I'm alive, though. I was her greatest challenge, but her greatest success. She made me as a little kid and raised me and taught me. I'm not a mindless robot. I like to think I have a soul …"

He nodded and stared off into the night. "You're a Bebe? But, you look normal …"

"I am normal," she squeaked, straightening up to the point of being stiff. "Ryu, I am normal. You've been around me more then anybody else here. I am normal."

He looked at her sharply. "Wait, why were you even here? You lied about your family dying in an attack?"

She could only nod for that question. She had take a deep breath and exhale slowly before she could trust her voice. "I was spying for Junior at first."

"What?" he shouted and shot to his feet. "So, all of was a lie? Everything?! You lied about everything?"

She reached out for him, needing the contact, but he stepped away. He glared at her, almost as if he thought that she was the enemy. Tears gathered in her eyes.

"It wasn't a lie! Just listen, please! I started out wanting to help my mother! The only person on Earth that loved me, but the more time I spent here with you, your family, and friends, I changed! I stopped helping Junior, even when he threatened to kill me! I stopped! My mother disowned me for betraying him and siding with you and none of our time together was a lie! I love you, Ryujin! I love you!" she wept.

Inhaling deeply, Ryujin looked to the sky. "I need time to think on this."

And with that said, he walked off into the cool night air, shoulders slumped. The first night that they did not have to worry about Junior, the first night that they did not have to worry about dying in a battle, the first night that they were truly free, and he felt like the world had collapsed in on him. Every sob from Jessie was a knife to his heart, shredding his soul and tearing at his insides. They were the war's last casualties.

-8-8-8-8-

I began writing an epilogue and got stuck less than two paragraphs in. Please, tell me what loose ends you feel need to be tied up and I will try to have an epilogue out as soon as possible.

Until then, I would like to thank the following: Yogurth for letting me use his ideas and characters, LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), my betas williamsoft1 and mrTomC, Blackbird for allowing me to use Shin (the cute one), and NoDrogs for allowing me to use the twins Kasy Ann and Sheki.


	61. 6:1: Yesterday

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. The twins, Kasy Ann and Sheki belong to NoDrogs. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

Epilogue

Sixth array: Day by day

6.1: Yesterday

Shego lay awake in bed, Kim's bed, her bed, _their_ bed. Kim was not far away, just a few inches from her, and sound asleep. Shin was in between them, curled against Kim's side. They suspected that Shin would be sharing the bed with them for a few weeks. Shin needed reassurance that Junior was defeated and they were all safe as a family. Shego was not really sure how long it would take Shin to believe because Shego could barely believe it. The green-skinned woman could hardly believe anything now that she had time to stop and think about it. Everything seemed supernaturally incredible.

Only a few years ago, Kim Possible had seemed very far away. She was thought to be lost forever, assumed dead by most. When they finally found her, things only got more unbelievable. She had lost her memories of the final few years of her life before Drakken had trapped her crystal. So, she had forgotten that three decades ago, she and Shego had actually been friends. All she could remember was hate, animosity, and antagonism toward Shego and Shego was so overjoyed to have Kim back that she accepted that. In fact, she accepted with a strange amount of internal glee that left her certain her mind had broken and she had failed to notice until that point.

"But, those were maddening times, so I'm sure I was a little crazy," she muttered to herself.

Honestly, Shego figured that if Kim had spent the rest of her life hating her, the older woman would have been happy with that. She would have taken that hatred as if it was the brightest diamond, the most beautiful gem, and she would have smiled. But, she was blessed because not only did Kim remember they were friends, they were able to reconnect and become friends again. Even better than that, Kim began to return her affections. Of course, she did not think that would have been possible without Shin.

Shego smiled as she looked at their oldest daughter. Yes, she was a failed experiment by the insane Doctor Drakken to clone her and Kim, but she was one of the best things to happen to Shego. Shin had not only brought her and Kim together, but had given her new drive to end the war and helped save her soul. Not many knew, but Shego had been slowly rotting from the inside, being devoured by bleak darkness that almost hollowed her out. Kim's return had slowed the void, but Shin gave her light and had chased away the abyss. She was a wonderful child.

"_My_ wonderful child," the pale woman whispered proudly. "My wonderful child with Kim."

Shego leaned down and kissed Shin's forehead. She swept Shin's bangs off of her face and smiled to see the calm visage. _I wonder if Drakken is spinning in his grave because he created the very thing I needed to keep living, the very thing I needed to push me to win, the very thing that brought me and my Princess together_. Only Drakken could do something so ironic. _Poetic justice_.

"The Doc definitely has to be spinning in his grave. He actually gave me my family," Shego chuckled as she looked over to the crib that was right next to Kim's side of the bed.

The twins, Kasy Ann and Sheki, were asleep in the crib. Shego had placed it on Kim's side, so that she could sit up and look at her whole family whenever she wanted. Kim teased her about doing it, so that Kim would have to be the one to wake up and tend to the babies. A grin spread across her face, but tears gathered in her eyes. She wished their parents had lived to see this, lived to hold their grandchildren, lived to see that bastard Junior go down.

"Junior," Shego growled under her breath. They had him under heavy guard by Amy's animals because they were the only things that could be trusted not to kill Junior when they were alone with him. She did not want him to die just yet. He was locked in a cage that Amy typically used for her animals. They were going to have to deal with him soon.

Before Shego could dwell on that, a hand reached over and grabbed for one of hers. Blinking, she focused on Kim to see olive eyes gazing at her. She took Kim's hand into both of hers and brought slender fingers to her lips. A small smile spread on Kim's face as Shego kissed her.

"What are you doing awake, sweetheart?" Kim asked, failing to hold in a slight yawn.

"Just thinking," Shego answered. She played with the redhead's fingers for a moment, delighting in the touch.

"About?"

"The past …"

Kim sat up. "Regrets?" Her eyes opened fully with concern shining through and Shego could not help feeling so loved and cared for.

The older woman shook her head. "No, just general things. You coming back, us getting the girls, and Drakken proving his incompetence once again by making us a family instead of killing us."

Kim smiled. "That is classic Drakken."

Shego chuckled. "Yeah, it is." Her gaze suddenly became extremely serious. "I'm so grateful for you and the girls. You all gave me a reason to go on, a reason to live, and a reason to make sure this world doesn't go to Hell." She did not realize that she was crying until Kim wiped away the tears.

The redhead carefully moved over Shin and placed a gentle kiss to Shego's lips. "You're doing an exceptional job. I know you want to rest, but you press on for us and everyone else. You're holding everything together. You're so strong. You're a good person, Shego."

"Thank you, and I do want to rest. I want to be able to laze around with you and the girls … but there's so much to do."

"But, not as much as before. You'll overwhelm yourself thinking about it all at once and, sweetheart, all you have to do is set the wheels in motion for the world to right itself. Delegate and step back. If something geos wrong, step in, but there's much greater chance of things going right."

"You're so wise, Kimmie. I'd like to do that. I'll try to do that."

"And I promise not to get too involved with picking up the pieces. I want to be with you and the girls, too. I want us to be a family, a very close family. Now, get some sleep. The twins are going to wake up crying in a couple of hours, after all."

Shego smiled and nodded. _Now I understand how my mother had complete and total control over my dad!_ The thought amused her, but she did as Kim said, lying down to try to sleep. She continued holding Kim's hand, knowing that Shin would not mind their arms on her.

Shego was able to get a little bit of sleep before the twins woke up, wanting to be fed. Both parents rose and Kim handled the girls while Shego took care of the bottles. These things they had quickly become accustomed to with the twins, as if they were _supposed_ to be parents to babies. Shego wondered if it was her mother's influence, which warmed her, even though she knew if her mother was alive, it would bug the hell out of her. She hoped that Kim also felt close to her own mother through dealing with the twins.

"You're good with making their bottles," Kim commented as Shego handed her one of the bottles.

"I used to watch my mother make them for the twins. Every now and then, my dad would trick me into making them by acting like it was fun," Shego said with a smile as Kim gave her Kasy Ann.

Kim smiled. "You'll tell me about your parents, won't you?"

"Everyday of our lives if you want me to. I'm going to tell the girls, too. They were great people. Your parents were great people, too."

Kim only nodded and then focused on feeding Sheki while Shego fed Kasy Ann. Shin sat up with them, watching the pairs. Leaning in closer, she inspected the twins, which she did often. Shin clearly had a fascination with her baby sisters, studying them since the moment that she was introduced to them. She was full of questions because this was her first time around anyone younger than she was, and she had no idea what a baby was until the twins arrived. No matter how much she gawked at them, though, she never seemed any closer to solving the mystery that was babies.

"How come they can't talk?" Shin asked curiously, running a finger along Kasy Ann's arm, as if she were trying to get a response from the child. Kasy Ann barely made a noise as she was much too focused on her bottle.

"Because they're babies, Peewee. You have to learn to talk as you grow up," Shego told the child.

Shin nodded. "When will they learn?" She stroked Sheki's back and earned a low coo, but nothing more. She did smile because of the noise.

"A few months. They'll start with very small words. You'll have to be patient with them," Kim said.

Shin nodded again. "Like you when you show me how to read and do math stuffs or when Momma teaches me to cook."

"Exactly," Kim said with a smile.

Shego could not help the pride that she felt with Shin. She believed that they were doing a good job raising her, but also felt that Shin's genetics helped. Shin had good in her DNA, despite what Drakken tried to do. Shin had determination in her, too, which helped her push through and come out on top through harsh conditions. It took some nurturing for that to come out, though.

"We're all learning," Kim added.

Shin appeared confused, her forehead wrinkling cutely as it often did. "You and Momma are learning, too?" she asked, quite incredulously.

Shego smiled. "Yeah, we're learning. We have to learn how to be good moms."

"You're good moms already, though!" Shin pointed out with a wide smile. Her words earned her thanks and kisses from both parents. Grinning, she watched Kim and Shego with the twins. She wanted to know everything about the twins to make sure that she was the best big sister possible to them.

"When they can eat real food, I'm gonna make all their favorite stuff like Momma does for me," Shin proclaimed as the twins finished up their bottles. Shin had learned earlier that her sisters were allowed only milk and that they had no teeth to chew with, which tickled her.

"You're going to be a good big sister," Kim told her, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. She and Shego then burped both babies and settled the twins close to their chests.

"Um … can I hold one?" Shin entreated with big, begging green eyes. Her voice quivered a bit as the inquiry tumbled out of her mouth.

The little girl had probably been building to that question all day. Kim and Shego looked at each other, silently deciding. They were both close by and sitting on the bed. There probably would not be a safer time for Shin to hold one of her sisters.

"All right, you have to make sure you support her head," Kim said, planning to pass Sheki to Shin. It was a smart and safe move as Sheki fussed the least, especially if she had a full tummy.

Shin nodded, even though they all knew that she had no idea what her mom meant. Shego showed Shin first with Kasy Ann and then Kim helped get Shin's arms into proper position. Slowly, Kim slid Sheki into Shin's arms until the baby was resting on Shin. Shin's mouth fell open and her eyes bugged out.

"Oh, my god! She's so little and warm!" Shin declared with excitement that must have gotten Sheki's attention because the baby stared at her big sister with large, emerald eyes. "She's looking at me! What do I do?" Shin asked with an amazed grin.

Kim reached out to stabilize both girls. "Just talk to her," she gently urged Shin.

Shin nodded and then gulped as she focused on her little sister. "Um … hi. Sheki, I just want you to know I love you very much and I'm gonna do my very best to take care of you and Kasy Ann. I'll be a good big sister. Jessie's gonna help. You'll like Jessie when you meet her, but like me, too, okay?"

Sheki blinked and yawned, but nothing more. Shego gave Shin a turn in holding Kasy Ann next, so the little firecracker would not be left out. Shin marveled over her just as she had Sheki. Kasy Ann's eyes wandered, but Shin gave her the same speech that Sheki had gotten.

Soon, the family was asleep again, including Shego. She and Kim held hands through the night. Shin curled into Kim's body, but was turned diagonally so that her legs rested on her green-skinned parent. A smile settled onto Shego's face, remaining throughout the night.

-8-8-8-8-

"I wish Kasy Ann and Sheki could eat pancakes," Shin declared as she enjoyed a short stack courtesy of her momma. She had tried tempting the twins with a slice of her pancakes, but neither seemed very interested, so she had started eating them herself.

"Give them time," Kim said as she fed Kasy Ann her bottle for breakfast. Sheki was thankfully still asleep because Shego was washing the dishes and would not be able to tend to her immediately if she awoke anytime soon.

The doorbell going off distracted the family. Kasy Ann especially seemed to want to know what that noise was and her emerald eyes darted all over the dining room, seeking the source. Shego rushed to the door, wanting whoever was there to stop ringing the bell before Kasy Ann flipped and Sheki woke up. She was surprised to find her brothers at her door.

For a moment more than Shego liked, her brain refused to speak. She feared her brothers were there to finish what they started so many years ago – blaming her for their parents' deaths and killing her a little more on the inside. She refused to allow that, not with her family ten feet away and not when she had so much to live for now.

"What are you doing here?" Shego demanded, almost glaring at her brothers. She supposed that she was too harsh because they all looked down, as if embarrassed and lost. Under any other circumstances, she was sure that she would have had more sympathy, but again, her family was too close and she did not know what her brothers might do.

"Uh …" Hego was actually speechless and that phenomenon softened Shego a bit.

"You guys were supposed to stay in the hospital," she reminded them, now giving them a stern, reproaching look.

While Trin had personally examined Team Go several times on their way back to Kimber, she still placed them under hospital supervision just in case. They were healthy in the sense that they did not have any diseases, but they had plenty of ailments. Trin ordered that they not use their powers for a number of reasons. They suffered from fatigue, muscle problems, bone density issues, and dozens of other infirmities. Most of their maladies were being treated by a different version of the green serum. The blond doctor wanted them resting, though.

"We needed to see you," one of the Wegos, Wes, if she could still tell them apart, said.

Shego nodded. "What do you need?"

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Hego inquired, some bravado back now that Wes had broken the ice. He even stood a little taller, as if wanting to tower over his sister. She almost scoffed in his face.

"Not until you tell me why you're here. Actually …" Shego stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She eyed each of her brothers. "Now, what do you want?" Her brothers appeared confused by her brusque nature.

"Why are you acting this way?" Wen, the other Wego, inquired.

"Maybe because last time I saw you I was accused of basically watching Mommy and Daddy die and not doing a damn thing to save them!" Shego snarled. Her body shook and her insides trembled as she recalled their cold words, harsh glowers, and how they left her to deal with their parents' deaths on her own. Thank god Ann Possible had been there or she definitely would have gone insane.

Her brothers all went wide-eyed, as if they had forgotten that little tidbit of information. Unfortunately for them, they had not forgotten because while Junior was using them as brainwashed batteries, they were aware. They relived memories and sometimes actually woke up, conscious of their fates. They _knew_ what their last moment with their sister was like.

Hego and Mego stared at the ground, kicking at imaginary dirt. The Wegos blinked a few times and then fell on Shego at the same time, engulfing her in a tight hug. Before she realized it, they were crying. Shego's stomach toiled and her eyes burned, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"It wasn't your fault!" the twins assured her in a wail. "It wasn't your fault."

"I should've been there for them and for you," Shego bawled, pulling them closer to her.

"Shego, you were there for everybody when it counted, Mommy, Dad, us, and the whole world. You were there to make things right," Hego proclaimed in a strong voice. He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Emerald eyes, flooded with tears, gazed up at the giant, who smiled at her. Slowly, Hego involved himself in the embrace, hugging Shego and the twins. They all turned to Mego.

"I always thought it was a nightmare while we were stuck as generators that I blamed you for their deaths," Mego explained, his voice cracking. "Well, I had _hoped_ it was a nightmare, hoped that I couldn't really say that to you." He sniffled and then just suddenly began bawling. "I'm sorry for that. I can't believe that was the last thing I ever said to you. I was an asshole."

The admission only made Shego cry more as it helped her realize how broken they actually were. She never used to cry, Mego was never supposed to admit fault, and Hego was never supposed to be anything beyond a self-righteous ass-hat. They had all changed so much. She was not sure what would happen, but she had hope that they would survive. They were the last Gos on Earth … they had to survive.

"Get in here, you!" Wes proclaimed as Wen pulled Mego into their group hug. Shego considered that maybe they were not so broken. The twins were bouncing back as quickly as they always did and she knew they would do their best to get everything back to the way they were.

After a few long, but necessary minutes, the crew separated. They then took a couple more minutes to gather themselves. Once they were all right, they focused on each other. It was like there were a million things to talk about, but nothing to say at the same time. They just needed to experience existing as a group, as a family.

"We need to get you guys some apartments, if you're not going to follow Doctor Blondie's orders," Shego decided.

"We want to help in any way that we can," Hego declared and the younger brothers nodded in agreement. "That's actually why we're here. We want to help."

"Well, right now, everyone's taking a week off to catch their breath. I don't want anyone to make any decisions while they're exhausted. But, I'll be sure to include you guys when we start making plans," Shego promised.

Mego nodded. "Just tell us what you need us to do. I'll do it the best."

Shego laughed. "I've missed you." She reached out and rubbed his cheek. He smiled, enjoying being the center of attention again.

"Us, too, right?" the Wegos grinned. Of course, they had to try to steal Mego's thunder as soon as possible.

"Of course you guys, too." Shego smiled at them, so happy that they had not changed despite their ordeals. She rubbed their heads and they smiled wider.

"We'll do whatever you say," Hego reiterated. Shego blinked, not sure what she would do with a contrite, humble, and obedient older brother.

The green-skinned woman chuckled. "Come meet my family."

"Family?" the brothers all echoed.

Shego just smiled as she opened the door. From the journey home, she had not seen her brothers to let them know how her life had changed or for them to see the twins. She almost bounced inside and her brothers followed.

"I'll give you the nickel tour later," Shego told them, glancing back to see their wide, awed expressions. Briefly, she wondered if she and her girls would always live here.

Her brothers nodded, but remained quiet. Shego grinned proudly as they came to the dining room. Shin and Kim looked up while Kasy Ann was very focused on her bottle. The picture was rather self-explanatory, which was probably the reason why her brothers' jaws dropped.

"You guys already know the mother of my children – Kim Possible," Shego said with a smirk and a wink.

Team Go at least were aware that Kim was alive and vaguely aware that Kim was in a relationship with Shego, but that was about it. Kim smiled at the group and gave them a short wave. Kasy Ann whined a bit as her bottle shifted and Kim's attention went right back to the baby.

"Mother of your children?" Wes echoed with sheer awe in his eyes.

"You have children?" Wen asked incredulously.

Shego chuckled. "There's Peewee, also known as Shin Possible-Go." She pointed to her eldest. "Then there are my little boogers. Kasy Ann is the greedy one and Sheki is the sleepy one."

"You have children?" Wen repeated.

"Yes, I have children." Shego laughed and then she waved Shin over. The child climbed out of her chair and trotted over to her mother.

"Yes, Momma?" Shin asked.

"These guys are your uncles" Shego informed her.

"More uncles?" Shin inquired with a smile. Her eyes shined as she gazed up at the men.

Shego allowed her brothers to introduce themselves. Hego went first, giving Shin both his hero name and given name. He also shook her hand. Mego followed the eldest's lead. The twins, though, introduced themselves with only their given names and they wasted no time grabbing Shin into a tight group hug. The little girl giggled and hugged them right back.

"You guys want some food?" Shego offered, and Kim looked ready to clap before remembering that she had the baby.

"Sounds good," the Wegos proclaimed with giant smiles.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego and Kim had decided to throw another cookout as they had before they left for the final confrontation. They felt like everyone needed it to, first and foremost, have a memory of a happy gathering without the foreboding sense of war looming overhead. They also wanted to make sure everyone relaxed, if only for an afternoon. Most importantly, they wanted Shin to see that her extended family was safe.

"Joss! Meet my uncles!" Shin begged, grabbing her cousin to meet Team Go. Her parents smiled as they watched her moving about.

"I'm not sure if I approve of their being out of bed," Trin commented as she eyed Team Go.

"You try taking that lot away from Shin," Shego remarked, holding Sheki in her arms. The baby stared around the yard, occasionally focusing on a person if they wandered close enough. Every now and then, she looked up at her mother, as if checking on her, which always got a smile out of Shego.

Trin shook her head and, instead of retorting, took Sheki from Shego. The mother pouted as her baby settled against her aunt. Trin smirked at the green-skinned woman.

"Stop looking so smug before I take my baby back," Shego huffed. She scanned the yard for her other precious bundle of joy.

Tim was holding Kasy Ann. He appeared both awed and terrified at the same time. Thankfully, Kim was close by in case he freaked out, which he very well could do. Jim was with them and Tim teased him by pretending to hand over Kasy Ann. Jim's eyes bulged and he begged his brother to keep her. Kim laughed, so Shego assumed everything was all good.

Shego continued to survey the yard, spotting Betty with Vivian. The couple stood off to the side and seemed to be all right, so she did not bother them. They looked cozy, talking amongst themselves, probably planning their lives together. Vivian had her appearance to match what she looked like when she was human. She wondered what their daughter was up to since she had not seen Jessie at all. Shin had not snatched up the blond teen, so Shego guessed that Jessie was with Ryujin. But, that proved to be incorrect as Ryujin was pouting in the corner.

Shego groaned. "Don't these kids have parents?" Mentally, she made a vow to not let her girls slip through the cracks. She made her way over to Jessie's parents, hoping they had some hold on what was going on.

"What's up, Shego?" Betty inquired, annoyance obvious. She more than likely came as a mere formality.

"What's up with your kid? Usually, she fawns over Ryujin, but now she's MIA and he's looking much more like his dad in recent times. It's depressing," Shego replied.

"Jessie's here," Vivian said, looking around to see that Jessie was not there. "All right, she's not. I don't want to invade her privacy by calling her over our links. She was quite sorrowful last night, though. She didn't want to talk about it. She did eager to come here and interact with Shin and the babies. I wonder why she's not here."

Shego sighed and nodded. "I hate teenagers."

"What happened?" Vivian pressed and Shego saw her humanity was still there, wrapped up in her daughter.

The green-skinned woman shook her head. "Not my place to say, but since I'm the idiot that knows the most about what's going on, I'll try my best fix it."

Vivian smiled. "Thank you."

Shego waved it off and approached Ryujin slowly, trying to figure out what to say to him. She knew if she waited, he would probably work it out on his own, but she did not want him to spend what should be his happiest and proudest moments being miserable. And then she thought the better of it. She should not be the person that spoke to him. Her detour took her to the kitchen.

"Ron," Shego said in a whisper as she eased next to him. He was preparing chicken for the grill.

"Don't call me that," he grunted. He had the nerve to wear his mask while cooking.

"It's peace time and Junior's done. Get over yourself. It's time to go back to being Ron because a certain someone needs his dad." Emerald eyes glanced over at Ryujin, who was curled into himself.

Shadow Hand looked up, but did not move from where he was. Shego did not pressure him, knowing Ron needed time to do the right thing, which was probably where his son got it from. He had until the end of the day. If Ryujin looked like someone killed his dog tomorrow, she would step in.

"What happened?" the ninja asked.

"He'll tell you when you ask. You're his dad, after all," the pale woman pointed out.

With that out of the way, Shego decided to enjoy the gathering. She went off to find her lover or one of her babies. Shin was still with Joss and Hana was with them, probably just making a pest of herself as that was her habit. Kim was still with her brothers. Kasy Ann was now with Amy, who was cooing at the baby. Trin still had Sheki and seemed to be trying to convince Tatsu to hold her. Tatsu looked reluctant, maybe even a little scared, and Shin (the non-cute one) laughed about it. Shego bet he would not think it was so funny if Trin tried to make him hold Sheki, not that any of them, especially Trin, would trust him to hold a baby.

"Hey, Shego, do you think I could see Junior?" Bonnie requested as she came up to the leader.

"Bonnie, don't worry about him right now. Enjoy the week. Our week off is about taking a breather and relaxing," Shego reminded the Paladin pilot.

Bonnie nodded. "I know, but I think I'd feel better seeing him."

"Okay, but not today. Today is about relaxing. Don't think about anything too heavy. Go eat something. Or better still, go hold a baby," Shego suggested and Bonnie laughed, but she did as proposed, having to pry Kasy Ann from Tara's hands. Monique was trying to talk Tatsu into handing over Sheki, which did not seem to be working. Shego decided that she would tell that to everyone that tried to talk business, even Will … or Hyperion. He responded to both names, and he did not take her advice, which was probably for the best since half of his body was pure fire.

Will wanted to know if there was a way for him to go back to normal. Shego really did not have an answer for him and was not going to ask any of her scientists about it until their week off was over. She truly believed that they needed to decompress or they would burn out trying to do everything at full speed. While everyone agreed, some were still anxious, which let Shego know they had a long way to go, even with the war over. She shook that away as Shin (the cute one) ran up to her, wanting permission to eat some sweets.

"Let's both have some cake," Shego said. Shin grinned. Shego wished that a slice of cake would make everyone's day. _But, maybe we all can have our cake and eat it too_.

-8-8-8-8-

Night had settled in and the party faded. Couples, families, and friends retired to their homes. Shadow Hand had other business to take care of, though. Standing in an open garden, he stared down at a glistening pool, shining from the light of a full moon that stared down on the world with hope for the first time in a long time. A black mask, a shadow, stared back at him. It reminded him of the void that he allowed to consume him.

He never spoke about it with Shego, but he had known when she was going through what he had already went through, being devoured by a festering abyss from the inside out. She turned out to be stronger than he was. She was able to reverse the tide, take responsibility for those close to her. He had held everyone, even people close to his heart at arm's length, not wanting to infect them with his darkness. She had shown him that holding people close was what cured the darkness, chased it away, and offered salvation. _I need to save him before I save myself, though. He needs to come first for once and from now on_.

He then turned his eyes up, spotting a figure clad in white, sitting on a rooftop. Sighing, he pulled the mask off and looked down at his reflection again. He frowned at the sight.

It still seemed like a shadow stared back at him, a shadow of a boy that was devoured too soon by sorrow and grief, the shadow of a man consumed by the weight of the world. He had not fought for either of them, hiding them away instead. In that sense, he had not fought for Ryujin either. Ryujin had needed that boy and that man to guide him just as much as he needed Shadow Hand the warrior, the mystical monkey master to teach him.

"All right, Stoppable, time to step up," he told himself as he tore himself from his reflection. He made his way over to Ryujin.

The blond teenager's face was turned to the sky, but he clearly was not seeing it. His eyes were searching inward and from the blank stare, Shadow Hand knew that Ryujin was just as confused and bothered now as he was earlier. So tormented, the teen warrior did not realize he was not alone. The master ninja cleared his throat and put his arm around his son, causing Ryujin to jump.

"Dad!" Ryujin yelped. He blinked a few times, gathering his wits. "Where's your mask?" he blurted out. Clearly, pieces of Ron lived on in his child.

Shadow Hand shook his head. "Don't worry about that."

Ryujin nodded. "Were you looking for me?"

"Looking? No. I don't need to look for you. I know when something's bothering you, you retreat to a rooftop to gather your thoughts. High places relax you. You're much like your mother in that regard."

Ryujin smiled. "She liked rooftops, too?"

"Yeah, she contemplated big decisions on rooftops, like naming you or if she wanted to date me. It freaked me out when she climbed up to a roof while she was seven months pregnant with you."

"Okaasan didn't know if she wanted to date you?"

Shadow Hand shook his head. "I was broken back then and she thought I might have been in love with your aunt."

"Shego?" the boy asked with wide eyes.

The master ninja actually, very nearly laughed for the first time in a very long time. "No, not Shego. Could you even imagine? No, she thought I was in love with Kim. But, she eventually figured it out just like I did. I loved Kim, but I wasn't _in_ love with her."

Ryujin nodded. "You were in love with Okaasan."

"Very much so. Sometimes, you have to fight for love and to prove that you have it."

The teen sighed and his shoulders slumped. "I thought I had it …" He proceed to tell his father everything that happened last night between he and Jessie without his father even needing to ask, which let Shadow Hand know how right Shego was. "I did the right thing, right? I can't believe anything she says. She's a liar and a robot."

Shadow Hand scratched his head. "I'll be honest, I didn't approve of you being with her. Shego and I long suspected that she was the mole and I thought she might be a Bebe, but I don't know her as well as you do or as your aunts do. Shego and Kim knew all of that about her, but still trust her with their daughters and Shego encouraged her to pursue you despite those things."

He blinked owlishly. "Wait, you all knew? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"The person that was supposed to tell you told you. She was honest with you about things that she didn't need to be honest about. She stopped giving Junior relevant information as a spy a long time ago, so she didn't need to come clean about that and you probably never would have known what she was doing if she didn't open her mouth. She has the ability to change her appearance into whatever she wants, so she didn't have to tell you she's a Bebe. She was being honest with you, like any couple needs to be with each other."

Shadow Hand could not believe he was trying to encourage his son to give Jessie another chance. He still did not care for her for the exact same reasons why Ryujin wanted nothing to do with her, but he knew Ryujin's affections ran deep. Besides, he would readily admit that he did not like many people, so Jessie was just one in a long list and it almost was not even personal. Everyone else close to them seemed to like her just fine.

"She's a Bebe, Dad. How am I supposed to believe anything from her is sincere and not just part of programming?" Ryujin asked.

"Well, a leap of faith for one, which is a jump we all have to make with partners. Two, you're one of the few people that believes regular Bebes are alive. If regular Bebes are alive, why not this one special one that the Queen Of the Bebes made to be her daughter? Why not this one special one that rebelled against Junior as she was making friends? Why not this one special one that cried for you as you walked away?"

"It could've been an act, Dad."

"To what end? She walked away from Junior before it was in fashion. She risked everything several times and it was because of _you_. You changed things for her. And, now that you know everything, know all you did for her, you're walking away."

"But, Dad …" Ryujin shook his head.

"Have your affections for her changed since learning the truth or are you just angry?" Shadow Hand asked, not expecting an answer. He waited a moment before continuing. "If your emotions haven't changed, they won't any time soon. You'll make yourself miserable with your anger, wishing you could hate her for being brave and doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" Ryujin echoed with a wrinkled forehead.

"Imagine we had sent you to be a mole in Junior's territory and you met her like that and you developed all of the same emotions. When do you tell her who you are? How do you tell her? Do you tell her?"

Staring at his father, Ryujin scratched his head. "Do you think she's alive?"

Shadow Hand patted the boy's shoulder. "Do you think she's alive and do you think your emotions, as well as hers, are real?"

"I don't know."

For the first time in a long time, Shadow Hand smiled. It was small, but it was there. "You do know and you know what to do because you know yourself and you know what you need to do."

"I do?" Ryujin sounded beyond skeptical.

"You're wise beyond your years. Something else you inherited from your mother. You'll be all right. You did a good job raising yourself." In that moment, Shadow Hand realized how true that was and he had a lot of parenting to make up for. Shego was right.

Ryujin nodded, more than likely because he did not know what else to say. Shadow Hand hoped that he had said the right thing. Ryujin really liked Jessie and that was easy to see. Ryujin seemed to be good for Jessie. He could only hope the reverse was true.

-8-8-8-8-

He was not sure how he ended up at this door. His father had left him to him thoughts, and the last thing he remembered was gazing at the sky. Now, he was standing at _her_ door with little clue as to how he got there or what he would say, yet he knocked anyway. _Maybe my body is just doing stuff on its own_. The door opened without an inquiry of who was there, but considering the household, they probably could see through the door.

"Ryujin," Vivian said, standing before him. She glanced back inside the apartment. "I'm not sure she wants to see you."

He nodded. "I know and I don't blame her, but we need to talk."

"You do, but only if you're not going to hurt her anymore. She's in serious pain, doubting herself."

His eyes burned. "Doubting herself?"

"Doubting if she's alive. If the person she's grown the closest to doesn't believe in her, she figures she must not be what she thought she was. She's been eyeing me as if I've lied to her all of this time and made her think she's alive. She practically accused me of making her a doll, which I can excuse since I know that's her emotional pain, which she does feel, talking. Do realize how hard all of this has been on her?"

Ryujin rubbed his head. "I haven't had my finest moment with her, but I know this was hard for her. She was brave and I was angry."

"Anger is understandable. She practically dropped a house on you. Are you better?"

"I like to think I am." He began considering his father's words and realized for the first time since returning home, he did not feel like the world had just ended. Vivian nodded and ducked back inside.

-8-8-8-8-

Jessie locked herself in her room, glad that her mothers respected her enough to allow her to just be miserable. Of course, that had not been the case earlier when Vivian was asking why she sneaked out of the cookout or why she looked like she had a suicide mission tomorrow. In a moment of weakness, she had blabbed most of her troubles to her mother and also accused her mother of some rather foul things before retreating to her room to save her sanity and prevent herself from taking her problems out on her mother.

"Do I even have sanity?" she wondered aloud, rubbing her forehead. A gentle rapping on the door disturbed her thoughts.

"Jess, Ryujin wants to see you," Vivian called from the other side.

"No," she groaned. She would not give him another chance to break her heart. _Do I have a heart to break? Are these emotions I'm just mimicking? A sociopath could do the same. Have I ever actually felt anything ever?_

"Sweetie, I know you don't want to, but it'll make you feel better. You already know what it looks like if you allow your emotions to fester and scab over."

Jessie knew it all too well. She had seen her mother on some very dark and bleak days. The very thought sent a chill through her, but again, she wondered if that was something simulated rather than true. To avoid that road, she decided to go speak to Ryujin if only to hear something from him beyond retreating footsteps. Besides, she knew her mother would not have told her about him if he meant her harm.

Jessie opened the door to her mother's smiling face. "Love is worth the pain, honey," Vivian promised.

"Can I even love?" Jessie asked, her voice quivering. She was not in the mood to correct it with any of her software.

"Of course, you can. Jess, if this was all programming would you have gone against me when I asked you to kill Shego? Wouldn't you have just killed her when I ordered it? Wouldn't you have done everything I ordered if it was only programming?"

"I don't know," the teen mumbled, shaking her head.

"You know. In your heart, you know. Now, go talk to your … your boyfriend. Straighten matters out," Vivian said.

Jessie could only nod and she exited the apartment, standing before Ryujin. She felt a fluttering in her stomach while he stared at his feet. He took a deep breath before standing straight and looking her in the eye. The fluttering in her belly became a complete toiling roll.

"Jessie, I want … I want to apologize before anything else," Ryujin stated. "You did something that was beyond words and I reacted poorly. You trusted me and I clearly didn't deserve it."

"I told you because you did deserve it. You've done so much for me that I had to tell you the truth. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't want you going to the most dangerous fight of your life with that on your mind," Jessie explained.

He smiled slightly. "Thank you for being so mindful. You're kind and considerate, but I didn't come here to tell you what you already know. I need you to know I care about you. Looking at you now, I realize it doesn't matter that you're a Bebe. You're _you_. You're …" His smile grew into a grin. "You're amazing and I'm lucky to know you." He reached out for her, and she met him halfway. They held hands.

"The guy that helps save the world says he's lucky to know me." She could not help smiling.

He put a hand on her cheek and caressed her cheek with his thumb. The area warmed at his touch and she felt like her knees were going to give out. _A simple touch should not make my head swim_.

"I'm sorry for putting you through this. It was such a shock, but you deserved a better reaction," he told her.

"I know it was a lot to take in …" Her voice was lower and she stepped closer to him. She finally felt settled and understood why her mother had pushed her to talk.

"It was, but I'm over it. I believe in you, Jessie. I trust you and I want us to be together." He leaned down, but she stopped him before he reached her lips.

"Do you truly believe I'm alive, that I am a person?" She needed to know that he saw her as more than just a Bebe.

"You are and you shouldn't doubt yourself because of my idiocy."

"As long as that moment has passed."

He smiled. "Yeah, the moment's passed. Thank you for being brave enough to tell me everything, including how you feel. I love you, too."

Jessie felt as if she were on cloud nine as he wrapped her in his powerful arms. And as his lips descended on hers, she knew that she had to be alive. It was the only way to explain beatific feelings floating through her as his lips caressed her mouth. It was a good thing he was holding her or she was certain that she would have fallen down. He was shaking by the time they broke apart.

"Wow," he said breathlessly.

"Seconded." She smiled and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I really do love you."

He rested his forehead against hers. "The feeling is very much mutual." Now, the healing could begin.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the group begins to rebuild the world.


	62. 6:2: Today

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. The twins, Kasy Ann and Sheki belong to NoDrogs. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

6.2: Today

The break was over, but the sky itself seemed to know that there were better times ahead. The day was clear and bright, screaming promise to all of those that noticed. There was still a lot to be done, so everyone needed to meet to begin planning for the future. Before that, though, Bonnie had to meet a monster.

The tanned woman took a deep breath, wanting to steel herself for the encounter, which did not work. A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. She spun to see Monique standing behind her with Tara by her side.

"You don't have to do this alone," Monique told Bonnie in a gentle tone with a matching look in her eyes. They were all still living together and had not discussed changing that, even though the war was over.

"We'll come," Tara said with a grin. "And beat his ass if he tries anything."

Bonnie laughed. "I think I need to do this alone, but I don't know if I can. I feel silly. I bugged Shego about this and now that I'm getting to do it, I can't stop shaking." She held up her hands, which trembled as if she was freezing. Her hands were nothing compared to what was happening inside her. It was taking all of her willpower to not throw up.

Tara grabbed her hands and held them tightly. "You're not alone, Bonnie. We're here. We'll come." Her eyes were even more power than her words and helped settle the tornado twisting in Bonnie's stomach.

"We'll stand with you, by you, behind you. Wherever you need us," Monique promised.

Tears gathered in Bonnie's eyes. She doubted that she would ever get used to the support, but she still appreciated it more than anything else in the world. She squeezed Tara's hand while smiling at Monique.

"Thank you so much," Bonnie whispered as a couple of tears escaped down her cheek. "I would greatly appreciate it if you both came, but I do need to face him alone."

"We'll hang out in the hall, so he can't see us and you can say what you need to say," Monique offered while wiping the tear staining Bonnie's face.

Bonnie nodded and the trio made the journey to Amy's labs. Junior was being held in a habitat that was usually reserved for battle animals that were too aggressive off of the field. To make things as uncomfortable as possible for him, the area was in a five by eight cell with nothing but dirt and grass. He did not even have the luxury of a toilet, being forced to use a hole in the ground. That was still too good for him as far as most were concerned, especially knowing how he used to treat his few captives, making Nazi medical experiments look civilized.

"You sure you want to face him alone?" Tara asked. She almost looked ready to cry as they stood just outside the room holding Junior.

Bonnie nodded. "I'm not afraid of him anymore and I need him to see that. Yes, I'm nervous, but I'm not afraid. I have a lot I want to tell him. I need to get it all off of my chest and then, hopefully, I can move on."

Tara and Monique nodded before hugging her and wishing her luck. Bonnie took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She then marched into the room with a supreme confidence that she did not truly feel. She knew that he could not touch her, but still she felt a tiny quiver of fear as soon as she laid eyes on him. He was her personal boogieman. She had to change that.

He was already facing her when she entered, grinning at her like a shark. She thought that losing and confinement would have instantly driven Junior mad, but he looked terrifyingly normal. He stared at her with cold, hard, sharp eyes, but she did not flinch as she stepped in front of the shield that acted as the cage bars. She looked him dead in the eyes, which he did not react to.

She thought it was strange that he did not react to her daring to stare right at him. Once upon a time, such defiant actions would earn her a beating and worse to follow. Maybe it was because he could not touch her and he was able to control himself since he could not reach out to "put her in her place," as he liked to refer to it.

"Bonnie," he said her name with a creepy calm, but it did not affect her. That alone filled her with aplomb.

"Hello, Junior," she greeted him with a bright smile.

"What do you want?" he asked in a low, menacing tone.

_Now, he's trying to scare me. He wants to see how I'll react_. Bonnie refused to give him the satisfaction. He could pretend everything was fine as much as he wanted, but he was done. He was defeated and he would never be able to hurt her or anyone else again.

"I just want you to know, I didn't kill your father. It wasn't my fault. I don't know why you think that, but it wasn't my fault and despite everything you did to me over the years, you didn't break me. I'm still here and I'm still standing. I'm going to help change the world even more than I have. I'm going to do more than just make sure you get what you deserve. I'm going to live my life and make the world a better place," Bonnie proclaimed with her head held high.

He chuckled, it sounded dark and ominous, matching the haunting look in his eyes. "You think this is over, Bonnie? I will be out of here soon enough and I will deal with you then. After I deal with Shego and make sure Kim Possible truly is dead this time. You will remember your place then."

Bonnie noted how serious he sounded and looked. He truly believed what he was saying. Apparently, he had cracked if he thought his imprisonment was just a bump in the road.

"Junior, it's over," Bonnie pointed out. "It's over and you're not going anywhere. This is it. It's over."

His eyes ignited, like twin blue volcanoes. "It's not over until I win! I will control the world with my father! It's not over!" he roared and he bounded forward, but stopped before he got to the invisible force field that kept him imprisoned. He probably knew that it would give him a very nasty shock if he touched it.

"It is over and you lost to me, to Shego, to Kim, and to everyone you hadn't murdered yet."

"I'll just kill them later then." His voice was calm and calculating. He waved his hand as if murder was nothing, which, of course, to him it was nothing. She had witnessed him kill more people for no reason at all than she had ever fathomed. This was the man that slaughtered her family in front of her, after all.

"You know, I'd pity you if you weren't a weak asshole. You were too weak to just accept your father's death and mourn him properly. You were too weak to just remember the good times you had with your father and simply became obsessed with something that he probably didn't even want. You're too much of a moron to realize he more than likely just wanted to spend time with you and really didn't matter about taking over the world. You can only pick on people smaller than you, which is why you tormented me. You're weak. You're so fucking weak," she hissed. It felt good to tell him what she thought of him.

Snarling, he moved like an angry lion, to stand directly in front of her. He clearly forgot about the shield because he went to punch her. She did not even flinch as his fist rocketed toward her, but collided with the shield. An electric shock charged out of the shield and blew Junior to the opposite end of the small cage. Smoke wafted from his body and he did not move.

"Dumb ass," Bonnie said before she turned to leave. She and her friends then went to the meeting for the Elect.

-8-8-8-8-

The Elect, plus the Rebel leaders, and Paladin pilots were gathered in a conference room. Team Go was allowed to sit out of respect for the fact that they were once Knights, but it was somewhat clear that they were not expected to participate; Shadow Hand had mostly made that clear. Vivian was also there, but only because she was practically glued to Betty's hip.

There were tons of items that desired their attention, but Shego only wanted to deal with one. After that, it could be someone else's problem, but she doubted it. Really, she did not want it to be someone else's problem because she feared that someone else might ruin all of their hard work, but she was tired of dealing with it. She was just tired.

"Look, let's figure out a government and get the fuck out of here. I wanna hold my babies," Shego said from her seat next to Kim. They had left their babies with Jessie, who seemed much better now and decided that she would rather not help decide the future of the world. The teen was happy to watch the babies, but she was adamant about the parents returning soon. While she was able to download plenty of information on babies, putting that information into practice was a completely different matter.

"I vote for anarchy," Shin (the non-cute one) declared.

"There's a reason your vote doesn't count," Wade remarked.

"Blondie, should we revoke your vote, too? We know how you feel about people," Shego said.

"I actually think we should create a government similar to ancient Rome," Trin replied. The seriousness of the answer earned her several looks; many of them were shocked because they were sure that Trin would say "to Hell with it" and leave everyone to fend for themselves now that the danger had be contained.

Jim scoffed. "Of course, you wanna make Shego a fucking emperor. The government should be a democracy."

"Oh, really? And, who should be in charge of this new 'democracy'?" Wade inquired in a mocking tone. "As if we have to ask."

"You think you should be in charge?" Amy asked the hostile Possible twin. She sounded somewhat amused by the idea.

"Sounds like anarchy to me!" Shin threw his fist in the air.

"So, we're just going to trust Shego in charge?" Jim demanded, glaring the chief engineer and his wife. Shin was ignored because they all knew he would never say something of value in a discussion about authority. He needed a lab and some science now that the fighting was done.

"You're the only one that said anything about putting Shego in charge. Shego doesn't even want to be in charge, so back off," Kim ordered her brother in a stern tone. The steely voice seemed to shock Jim into silence. "Trin, what were you saying?"

"Simply that having a senate of some kind would be perfectly fine, but I still believe we're going to need a decision-maker. I would suggest having two, just to avoid a power grab. When the two executives disagree, you can set the decision by whoever has more support from the senate," the blond doctor explained.

"Sounds complicated," Shego pointed out.

"Why don't we just let people decide? We call all the towns to their town halls and present them with different options. They can vote on it and then we can get to other goodies," Amy suggested.

"Oh, yeah. We could just set up a massive tele-conference. I forgot about that," Wade said.

"You're connected to every town in Kimber?" Tim asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it's not like the country is teeming with towns or anything, but we've never used it to conference. We can see how this works. In theory, it should work. Hopefully, it doesn't blow the network. So, I'll go let the towns know what's up while you guys try to narrow things down." Wade was gone before anyone could respond.

"He doesn't like politics," Amy explained her husband's rapid exit.

"He's not the only one," Shego grumbled with a sour look. Kim patted her knee to help calm her down. The fact that it worked made her feel even better. _I love this woman! _Shego could not help smiling.

"Well, I definitely like the idea of a democracy. Having one person in charge is scary," Bonnie said with a shudder.

"Well, Shego's not Junior," Monique pointed out. Bonnie nodded, but there was still a look in her eyes that let everyone know she felt like one person should never wield unlimited, unchecked power ever again.

"Can we first be clear about what we mean by democracy? I get the feeling you don't mean people vote on every little decision," Tim pointed out.

"I don't think anybody has time for that, but people should be encouraged to help get the world back on it's feet and rock the vote on some decisions," Monique replied.

"I still think we need someone at the head of the machine just in case," Trin stated.

"Are you volunteering?" Shego inquired.

"I would sooner kill myself," Trin answered honestly. "Or maybe others."

"What about having a president then or a prime minister? Or both?" Kim offered. "That way there will be an executive that can take charge just in case or even someone there to stop the senate from passing insane laws? They would be able to balance each other out or something. I mean, there is always a chance that the senate could go mad with power and we should have something in place beyond the citizens rising up and putting the senate back in its place."

"Sounds like we need to kick around a lot of ideas," Tara commented.

"More than that as someone is eventually going to have to write up a constitution," Hana said, just to be annoying of course.

Almost everyone groaned. Now, they would have to play "not it" to avoid that task, even though they all know it would be pushed on them. Unfortunately, none of them felt like they knew enough about a proper government to put together a formal constitution.

"You guys don't have one now?" Tim asked.

"No. Technically, Shego's word is law. We didn't have time to worry about that when Dragons were trying to devour us left and right. It worked out even better when Junior was the end-all-be-all of Dragons. We couldn't waste time about anything. Whatever Shego says goes. We improvised most other things," Joss explained with a shrug.

"Yeah, we're definitely changing that," Shego said, shaking her head. There was no way in Hell she would continue to walk around with absolute power and with everyone on Earth looking only to her for answers and solutions.

"How about we save this until Wade sets up the national conference? There are other matters that need to be addressed. What are we going to do with Junior, after all? What about Hench? What about Doctor Porter?" Shadow Hand commented, looking over at the Bebe Queen. He was without his mask and giving her the full strength of a heated glare. It was surprising that she did not melt in her seat.

"I don't want to touch any of that without an official government in place because I don't want anybody to be able to call into question what we're doing and I want us to set a good example for the future. Junior's not going anywhere. Ninjas are looking for Hench and I don't know what's going to happen when they find him. As for Vivian …" Shego glanced over at the blond scientist. "I'm sure _not_ using her to improve life is a sin."

"So, just forget the fact that she's directly responsible for the death of millions of people?" Shadow Hand inquired.

"Hey, Vivian helped us win!" Betty barked, shooting to her feet. Thankfully, she did not punch the table or stomp the floor because she definitely would have broken something.

"But was ready to destroy humanity until she found out you were alive," Joss chimed in.

"Not to mention, willing to use her own daughter to achieve that goal," Hana added. Vivian ducked her head in shame while Betty glared at both of them. There was nothing that she could argue, though.

"Let's not get into the argument over if Vivian should be punished right now. If anything, I sentence her to ten million hours of community service," Shego stated with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Don't make light of that," Kim scolded the green-skinned woman.

"I'm not. I'm serious. My word is law, after all. So, now Vivian's being punished. Can we move on?" Shego replied. She truly believed it made no sense to shut Vivian out of the rebuilding effort. Yes, Vivian was responsible for a lot of death and destruction, but unlike everyone else from Junior's side, Vivian showed remorse. She had no doubt Vivian would punish herself for the rest of her life, and considering her current form, Shego was certain that the blond scientist would be thinking about all that she had done for a very long time.

"What are we going to do about Neo Roma?" Joss asked.

"Rename that shit for starters," Shin huffed, folding his arms across his chest.

"For once, I agree with him," Hana remarked.

"I'm already working on plants and animals," Amy chimed in.

"We should get in on this," Shin said to Trin, who only shrugged.

"You're going to take over Junior's land?" Betty inquired suspiciously. She was back in her seat, but still visibly tensed.

"You'd rather we just leave it a barren wasteland?" Shego countered with an arched eyebrow. "If you want, we could totally do that. I mean, saves us work." She shrugged.

Betty glared at the pale woman. "That's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean? You're sitting over there all high and mighty, but what have you contributed to help further ideas along?" Joss huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Do you want the land? Is that it? You want a country to rule?"

Hana jumped in. "That's probably it. All this bullshit about not trusting Shego is an act and they just want their own piece of the world."

Jim glared now. "Don't confuse us with you!"

"Who the fuck has said that?" Joss demanded. "No one on our fucking side had expressed any desire to rule the world."

"Calm down, Joss," Kim urged her, having to lean over Hana to take her cousin's hand. She squeezed and that seemed to settle down the auburn-haired warrior.

"I just hate how they assume the worst and they don't even know what we've been going through," Joss frowned.

"We all do, but you can't let it get to you," Ryujin spoke up. "You have to just keep your focus on what we need to do."

Joss chuckled and shook her head. "I know I'm bad when this kid is the one with the good advice."

"Anyway." Shego turned her attention to Trin. "Can we finally start detoxing all of the islands and stuff?"

Trin waved her off. "My team is on it already. We've started with the easiest one that we already knew could be saved, but could never get to because of everything. We'll have the islands in shape as soon as it's physically possible. Once they're clean, you can probably just leave them to set and try to renew themselves. It's not like the world has so many people that we need the space."

"Well, that's one thing out of the way. Any others?" Shego asked, knowing there were millions of others. She sighed as they picked up yet another issue. She just wanted to get back to her babies.

-8-8-8-8-

Setting up an official government was harder than anyone wanted to admit, but at the end of the day Kim and Shego were always happy to return home to their girls. Shin ambushed them as always, needing to tell them about her day with Jessie and the twins. Jessie actually looked exhausted.

"You have three very different personalities here and only one of them seems remotely sane," Jessie remarked as she handed the twins over.

Kim laughed and Sheki giggled as she slid into her mother's arms. "Don't worry. We're almost done, so you won't have to watch them for ten hours anymore."

"I don't understand how regular people do this. Three small kids." Jessie only sighed dramatically before brushing back her frayed hair. Then her expression soften and she rubbed the top of Shin's head. "They're precious, though." The statement and show of affection earned her a huge grin from Shin.

"Yeah, they are," Shego concurred as she tickled Kasy Ann under the chin. Kasy Ann jerked her head as if trying to escape.

Shin gave Jessie a hug farewell and the blond teen went off to more than likely spend her free time with Ryujin. The pair had been together everyday since making up, both smiling and just dating as if it were going out of style. They never seemed happier, which was the way it should be with Junior gone.

"Okay, family time!" Kim announced while switching twins with Shego. They liked to try and spend equal time holding both babies to avoid making it seem like they had a favorite. They definitely did not have a favorite, loving each daughter with everything that they had.

"May I read to Kasy Ann and Sheki? They smile when I do that," Shin declared with a grin.

Kim smiled widely. "Yes, you may. Go get a book." Shin was gone in a flash.

"She's already shaping up to be a great big sister. This is so awesome," Shego proclaimed as she cuddled Sheki to her chest.

"Yeah," Kim agreed as she kissed Kasy Ann's forehead and then she did the same to Sheki.

"And it's amazing that you say family time and she volunteers to read," Shego pointed out.

"My dad would make us stuff and my mother would worry about us getting hurt," Kim said with a fond smile.

"My dad would break out the comics or a Star Wars movie and my mom would complain that she lived with a den of geeks and nerds," Shego admitted. "I will warn you, Star Wars survived and they're gonna be watching those movies as soon as they can comprehend and appreciate the awesomeness of it."

Kim's face lit up. "I want you to bond with them in anyway that you can and remember your family with them. I'll do the same, so let's hope they inherited your healing ability." Shego laughed from that.

Shin returned with a book of nursery rhymes. They all settled on the sofa with Shin in the middle. The little girl opened the book and began reading to the babies. She read much better and definitely enjoying it now. They could not wait for her to find a subject or nine that she enjoyed as well.

-8-8-8-8-

"I can't believe we're elected officials," Monique chuckled as she, Bonnie, and Tara entered their apartment. She collapsed onto the sofa. Bonnie and Tara laughed as they settled on the love seat.

"I really hadn't planned on all of this. I thought I'd be able to go back to my kids," Tara sighed, but she did not appear unhappy.

"You can do much more for all war orphans now," Bonnie pointed out, but her head was spinning, too. She had gone from Junior's "wife" to war hero to member of a newly formed legislative body that would be creating laws, among other things, for the rest of the world. The idea was completely overwhelming.

"Yes, but I don't know anything about running a government," Tara said.

"None of us do, but I think at this point it's really just common sense," Monique replied.

"I hope you're right. I can't believe they voted for us just because we were lucky enough to pilot the Paladins. It seems so unreal," the blond commented.

"It does seem like a dream," Bonnie agreed.

A government had finally been established and was made up of most of the old "dictatorship" and anybody that seemed to have a close relationship to Shego. There was a legislative body, the General Assembly, which had two representatives for each town. Some of the representatives had not even heard of the towns that they were supposed to represent, but everyone was certain that would change as the world settled. Besides, they could easily connect town officials and find out what they should be doing for their constituents. The hope was that eventually representation would depend on the population, starting with one assemblyman for every two hundred people and it would increase as the population increased.

It was agreed that members of the Assembly would serve three-year terms and have no more than four terms. They felt the limits made sure that no one in the Assembly could become extremely powerful and take over the legislature. The members chose a prime minister, who ended up being Kim because everybody knew she was really the only person that could and would stand against Shego if necessary, as long as it was for a good reason. They also agreed that she was a good leader and typically wanted to do the right thing.

Shego had been elected Chief Executive, head of the executive branch. She had actually filled most positions with people in the Assembly to run the few departments, but it was agreed that would not be done again because it was a conflict of interest. The Chief Executive served a five-year term and could only serve two terms.

A court system had already been in place, but everyone agreed that they needed to do more with it. They needed to put more laws in place and more rules on how those laws would be enforced. But, a skeleton of the government was better than nothing. They would figure it out as they went along.

Their constitution was also pretty much a skeleton, but they made sure that it could be changed with the times and the growth of the world. Under a vote of sixty person of the Assembly and the approval of the Chief Executive, the constitution could be altered. If eighty percent of the Assembly agreed, they did not even need the Chief Executive's signature. They hoped that they would learn what to change and improve things as they went along.

"Junior's going to trial soon," Tara said, staring off at the wall for a moment. She then glanced at each of her roommates. "What do you think will happen? Kim made sure we had no death penalty and Shego agreed."

"The trial is still a formality. We should just put him in a cage in the center of the city with no luxuries. It would kill him to see people happily living their lives and the world going on without him," Bonnie figured.

Tara nodded. "The sad thing is that's probably the worst punishment. He'd be crushed seeing the world heal."

"That's just the way his mind cracked," Bonnie said.

"Did he really crack because his father died?" Monique inquired. "I mean, we all lost parents at this point and we didn't crack. Hell, the bastard sent Shego a tape of her parents' death and she mourned and then tied up her boots again. His dad going really broke him down like that? Broke him enough to wage war on the world?"

Bonnie nodded. "He lost it. I think it's because we were partying so much and he wasn't spending the same amount of time with his father as they had in the past. His father didn't really want to accept that I was in Junior's life and kept pestering him to go back to what they used to do. He died trying to get Junior to spend time with him. Junior …" She had to take a deep breath to settle her roiling stomach.

Tara patted Bonnie's knee. "Take your time."

Bonnie nodded again and gave the blond a small, grateful smile. "I think he felt guilt over not spending those last years with his father. He couldn't take the guilt, so he blamed me and I deserved to be punished for keeping him from his father rather than the fact that he was having fun with me. In his broken mind, living his father's dream, taking over the world, is the only way to make things up to his father. Taking that away from him, well, there can't be a greater punishment than for Junior to fail his father yet again."

"He'll probably just blame us, like he blamed you," Monique pointed out.

Bonnie laughed. "I'm sure you're right. Really, that's his problem. He can't accept responsibility for anything and he's immature."

No one argued that. They all sat quietly, wondering what the future would hold. They were certain that things were going to improve. They just wondered how long it would take. However long it would take, though, they would stick together. It seemed like it was given since they never discussed changing their living arrangements.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie was almost correct in what would happen to Junior. He was put on trial, but it was more of a summary of all the pain and suffering that he had caused the world. Junior was defiant to the end, wanting everyone to know that he would rise again. In fact, he gave almost an hour-long speech in that regard and probably had more to say, but the judge cut him off because no one needed to hear him rant for the whole day. He was also silenced because he was successfully scaring people who watched the trial. People honestly thought that Junior might rise again, like the general he used to be referred to as – Napoleon.

Many people thought that the only way to stop Junior and make sure his threats went unfulfilled was to sentence him to death. The judge might have agreed until Kim reminded everyone that they had already written a law against the death penalty and if they were not going to follow the law then there was no point in having it.

"If we're going to break this law, what's to stop us from breaking any other laws and then there won't be a point for us to have a government at all and then it'll be even worse than if Junior was in charge because it would be survival of the fittest," Kim proclaimed.

"The Legend makes an excellent argument. Life imprisonment," the judge announced, banging his gavel to make the ruling official.

People were disappointed, but from the mumbled chatter, they agreed with the decision, too. Most wanted Junior to be punished, but they were not sure how. Shego decided that Junior's prison would be a lone cell underground with one window that allowed him to hear what was going on in the outside world. Shadow Hand had volunteered to be his jailer, for now anyway. Shego knew that he would eventually have more important things to do.

"Wego, I'm probably going to leave watching Junior up to you until I can find a more permanent solution. Can you handle it?" Shego asked the twins. She trusted them to not murder Junior the second her back was turned, which she could not say about almost everyone else. Plus, they were as good as having a thousand men watch Junior.

She met with them in the Dark Room, which was still her office. The entire city of Isabella was being redesigned, though. The Obsidian Manor was still the hub of the government and would eventually be moved to a more open location to allow much more transparency in the government. The Emerald City would also be moved to a more open location and made open to more people.

"We got this!" The pair high-fived each other and gave their sister wide grins. "You'll tell Kim we can't help building the roads through the Mountains, then, right?"

"Of course. Now, go tell Shadow Hand you're relieving him of his position," Shego ordered.

The duo saluted and then changed off. She rolled her eyes at their antics, even though she was pleased to see that they were pretty much back to normal. She immediately got on her Kimmunicator with Kim to let the redhead know that the Wegos had been reassigned. Not that the Wegos were truly needed at the building project. Hego was handling all of the heavy work and Kim was showing her Possible heritage, being a very competent, self-taught engineer.

The redhead plotted out a number of roads that she planned to build, but the most important project was the one that she was working on now. She had designed a wide road to go through the Mountains into Junior's former land. Hego was helping by basically powering through where she told him. She had practiced and honed her skills on smaller projects and was confident that she could and would do a fantastic job now.

"Hey, sweetheart," Kim said as soon as Shego's image appeared on her Kimmunicator screen. She smiled at Shego, causing the older woman's heart to flutter.

"Hey, I just put the Wegos in charge of watching Junior. You don't really need them, do you?" Shego asked.

"Not really. They've mostly been keeping Shin occupied."

Shego smiled. "How's Peewee doing? I miss my girls." They had only been separated for the day, but it felt like forever to her. She hated being away from any of her family for more than a few hours.

A soft smile settled on Kim's face. "We miss you, too. We'll be home soon and Shin will tell you all about her powerful Uncle Hego and how he can punch holes in rocks. But, she makes sure he and everyone else knows that her Momma is the most powerful."

Shego laughed. "That's my girl. How's the project going?"

"Really well. We'll have the New World connected to Kimber soon enough. Can we rename Kimber when we rename the New World? I'm a bit embarrassed by it, especially since Shin keeps pointing out that it's named after me."

"I was wondering when you'd mention that. Bring it up at the next full Assembly meeting. I also suggest you have other names you think would be good replacements. I doubt it'll go over well since people freaking love you."

Kim frowned. "Well, I hope they name the New World after you. Then you'll see how it feels."

Shego scoffed. "Fat chance that I'd let that happen."

"You said the same thing about being voted Chief Executive and look where we are now."

"Don't make me regret wanting you to come home."

Kim laughed and they bid each other farewell with air kisses. They both then went back to work. Shego was mostly trying to keep up with all of the projects and making sure everything was going correctly. Of course, despite best intentions, things were not going as smoothly as they could.

Tara had taken on helping refugees as well as war orphans. Monique and Bonnie were helping. They needed shelters and supplies as well as doctors and counselors. They also learned about everyone that came in, hoping to give them a jump in the quickly changing world, finding places for everyone that they could. Their biggest issue was feeding so many people, which made it an issue for Trin and Shin (the non-cute one) since that was their responsibility. Trin and Shin were probably being overworked, but since they did not complain, Shego let them do as they pleased as long as their work got done.

Wade and Vivian were in the New World, which was the temporary name for Neo Roma. They were collecting any machines, especially Bebes, for scrap metal to be turned into useful items. Vivian was also there to deactivate any Bebes that might still be on. Wade made sure all of the parts went to Tatsu, occasionally sending her suggestions as to what should be done with the metal. With them were Betty and the Possible twins doing the same thing to any surviving structures in the New World. They started with Drakken's section because they also wanted to discover evidence that the crazy bastard was really dead.

Finding pieces of Drakken was not difficult. He was all over his former land. Thankfully, there was almost no animal activity in the New World. Drakken's body was sent back to Kimber to assure the masses that the mad scientist would not rise as the newest Dragon. Shego was not surprised that she did not feel anything when Drakken's death was confirmed. The man she knew and had some affection for had died a long time ago.

Amy was busy trying to turn the barren wasteland that was the New World into something habitable. She was pacing herself and taking it a little at a time because it would be impossible for her to transform large tracts of land without problems or mistakes. She had to borrow some of Wade's engineers to find water or deliver water to areas. Thankfully, she had everything plotted out and really just needed to put the plan into action.

Joss and Shadow Eyes were busy acting as leaders in a forming police department. Mostly Guards and former soldiers had joined and they did not have to deal with anything serious. It was assumed that no one really wanted to mess with Joss or Hana, so all of the criminals were on their best behavior.

Will Du was also being used in the police department. His presence also acted as a deterrent. Most people knew who he was, especially since he was still half-ice and half-fire, and wondered why Hyperion was not under arrest himself, but no one dared ask him. Will continued to hold onto the hope that he could be returned to normal, but no one had positive news for him yet.

The Paladins were even being used in the rebuilding, on their own. They had been put to work, searching for people or settlements in the New World. There were a few places with less than twenty people dotting the area that had not known of Junior's defeat. They always expressed disbelief, but the Toltec had a message to play from Shego to help reassure everyone. The Paladins escorted those people to the Mountains, where Kim had people take over and made sure the refugees made it to Tara, Bonnie, and Monique.

Trin had taken a few of her people along with the non-cute Shin to go clean up the islands that peppered the coasts. Amy would more than likely have to come in when Trin was done. Trin and Shin were also heading farming projects on Jannika to make sure there was more than enough food and, without the threat of being razed, there finally was a surplus of food.

Tatsu was stuck in the lab, which was actually where she preferred to be. As the metal from the New World came in, whatever Wade did not sent instructions with, she was left to figure out what to do with it. Much of it was used to repair towns and the city.

Last, but not least, Ryujin and Jessie helped out with children. Jessie remained the babysitter for Kasy Ann and Sheki, and Shin when she was not working with her mothers, but also other children of officials and just people out trying to help. Ryujin was not as gifted with children as Jessie, but he tried his best.

So, little by little the world was changing again, for the better as far as everyone was concerned. Things only got better when Jack Hench was discovered hiding in a small town. He seemed to think he was blending in until some Shadow Hand ninjas caught up with him. He was put on trial also and, even though his help in the final days of the war were made public, he was still sentenced to a life of hard labor on what Shego dubbed "the Farm."

The Farm was a prison, but everyone there had work to do, tending the farm, making clothes, or something similar to that. It was also self-sustained, so if the prisoners wanted something, they had to make it for themselves. Everyone that Hench had employed was there, too. They had all received life sentences as well.

Hench tried to get Shego and Betty to help him, but they refused to undermine the jury and judge's decision. Shego was thankful that Hench did not know about Vivian because she knew that he could have tried to use that to his advantage. With Hench locked away, all of the players involved with Junior were accounted for. Everyone was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The world would heal. Things would get better. A new day would dawn and it would bright and clear.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a glimpse into the future.


	63. 6:3: Tomorrow

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. The twins, Kasy Ann and Sheki belong to NoDrogs. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

6.3: Tomorrow

Five years had passed since the fall of Junior. It was hard to believe, but the world kept spinning and time continued to march forward. Shin was a teenager; they celebrated her birthday as the day that she regained consciousness from when Kim knocked her out of the sky. Of course, they did not talk about that, even though Shin had made it through the trauma. She barely remembered what happened before she had two loving mothers and most of the stuff just came in the form of random nightmares. Now, it was Shego trying to make it through the trauma and nightmares – the trauma of their eldest daughter dating.

Kim smiled as she thought about Shego ranting and raving about having to meet "some punk kid" – any punk kid – that thought they were worthy of her daughter. Of course, Kim liked to point out that Shin had yet to show a romantic interest in anyone. She liked filling her time with sparring with her cousins, going on adventures in the woods or other wild areas with her few friends, and babysitting her sisters as well as the latest addition to the Possible clan.

"Mom, you have to see Ann's little dress!" Shin said with a wide grin, bursting into the room with the small toddler in hand, causing Kim to turn away from the full-body mirror that she was staring into. Five year old Kasy Ann and Sheki followed behind their big sister, as they had a tendency to do. The sisters were all wearing dresses, as was Kim. Kim hoped that Kasy Ann's dress lasted the day.

Kim's dressed was white with pink accents. The pink was slashed across the sweetheart neckline in tiny dots and three button-sized rose designs. Across her waist line and coming up in the middle were more pink dots that connected to form thin waves. Roses shined at the top of each wave. Down the gown, dividing it into sections, there were more rosy dots making wave patterns and a fine band of pink waves down each section. The gown almost touched the floor, but did not quite make it there.

Around her neck, there was a tight, glittering piece of jewelry covered in diamonds, except at the heart-shaped center. The heart had emeralds around it and in the middle of it there were four special gems that made up a diamond shape. The top gem in the diamond was pure, but pale green. The one on the bottom was swirled with red and black. The two gems on the side, one was swirled with red and the other was swirled with black.

Kasy Ann and Sheki had matching dresses. They had white gowns that were above their ankles to avoid any tripping and to show off their little white shoes. Sashes around their waists were mixed with emerald and scarlet, which were tied into bows at their sides.

Shin's dress was a little more sophisticated than her sisters, even though she was not much to be trusted in a gown either. Thin straps held up her white dress and Kim hoped the baby did not yank on one because they looked like they could be torn. A black sash went around her waist with a red rose swirled with green inside of it was set just to the left a bit. She and her sisters also wore small emerald and ruby tiaras because they were little princesses to their mothers.

Kim smiled at her eldest daughter. "Do your aunts know you've kidnapped their daughter?"

"Little Heckle and Jeckle might've acted as distractions as I absconded with baby Ann," Shin declared while the twins smiled proudly, clearly thinking they had done something right.

Kim gave the teenager a stern look, which might have had worked better if only she was not smiling. She really could only smile right now. It did not help that she thought it was cute when Shin used nicknames for the twins like Shego did. She reached out and caressed Ann's styled ebony hair. The barely two-year-old grinned at her with shining ice blue eyes.

"Make sure she goes back to Trin or Tatsu before the ceremony starts and don't let her pull anything, including your hair," Kim ordered. Shin's short hair was done with her bangs sweeping to the right side with a slight wave to it. The rest of her hair was done down with the same wave.

"I'll return her to her moms in one piece and make sure I stay as perfect as I am," Shin vowed.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!" Kasy Ann jumped up and down while waving to get her mother's attention. Kim now had less and less faith that the dress would last the day. Kasy Ann's wild mop of fiery red hair was already starting to fall and her tiara was crooked.

"Yes, baby?" Kim asked patiently. She reached down and caressed the little girl's cheek. She made sure to fix the tiara and patted down the little firecracker's hair. The long curls had fallen, but thankfully her hair still looked good.

"You look pretty!" Kasy Ann proclaimed, touching her mother's hair, too. Kim's hair was done up with thick strands framing her face.

"Momma looks pretty, too," Sheki added in, speaking at a much more civilized volume. Her eyes sparkled as she delivered the news. "You should see her." Kim was thankful that Sheki's hair seemed to be staying just right, despite her habit of following after Kasy Ann.

"I'll see her soon. I'm sure she looks incredible." Kim could only imagine what Shego looked like and she wanted to see her as soon as possible.

"Not only that, but she's ready whenever you are," Trin said as she stepped into the room. She was dressed in a pink gown that she had pretended offended her, but she was probably the only one totally happy with Kim's choice in bridesmaids' dresses. She had actually had one made for Ann that was identical to the dress that she was wearing. "And give me my baby back," she said to Shin.

"Mommy!" Ann put her hands out for the blond. Shin handed her over without a fuss for once.

Trin practically grinned with her daughter in her arms. "Hello, baby." She kissed the dark-haired child's forehead. Ann giggled and her light blue eyes twinkled.

Shin reached out and tickled the baby's chin. "When are you going to have another one? Is Aunt Tatsu going to carry the next one?"

Trin laughed and shook her head. "Not likely. We have made another appointment with Amy to start the process and I suppose I should prepare myself for another bout of morning sickness when we're done with that. But, for now, let's worry about getting your mom out to your momma." She turned her attention to Kim. "Where's your veil?"

"Yeah, Mom, you gotta put on the veil," Shin pointed out as she scanned the vanity in front of Kim. It was hard to miss the coronet that the veil was connected to. The coronet had similar design to the necklace that Kim was wearing. Shin picked it up, but Trin put it on her sister.

Tears formed in Kim's eyes as she looked at herself in the full body mirror. She had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing. Shin appeared alarmed.

"Mom, what's wrong?" the teen implored.

"I wish your grandmother was here right now," Kim sniffled and Trin put her hand on Kim's shoulder.

"She is here. She's with you right now. She'd be so proud of you. Her and Dad would be so proud. Now, go out there and show them one of the things that they more than likely had planned for you the moment Dad freaked out and realized you were grown," Trin commented with a smile. Kim sniffled again and nodded.

"C'mon, Mom, we'll take you to Momma." Sheki took Kim by the hand to lead her outside. Kasy Ann took her other hand, tugging much harder than her ebony-haired twin.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Kasy Ann shouted.

"Time to get married!" Shin cheered, throwing her hands up. Of course, her sisters copied her. And then baby Ann did the same.

"For some odd reason, this makes me just a little less enthused about having another one," Trin remarked dryly as she followed behind Kim's clan.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego had to fight the urge to fidget as she stood before the altar, waiting for Kim to arrive. The main thing keeping her still was that she did not want to mess up any inch of her wonderful white, strapless gown. Green and black thread laced over the bodice of the dress, making a flower and leaf design. Down one side of the dress, just over her leg, the pattern was repeated in line. There were four large flowers on each outline.

Around her neck, she wore a diamond necklace with a flat flower dangling in the center. The flower had a deep ruby in the center and three other gems that formed a triangle around the ruby. Those gems were green with the top one was swirled with red and black. The two gems on the side, just below the ruby, one was swirled with red and the other was swirled with black.

She had on white gloves that hugged her forearms. Her hair was done up with a band that matched her necklace wrapped around it. Her veil hung from the back of the band. She had to remind herself to breathe every now and then because she did not want to move too much and risk her hair falling out of the complicated high wrap that it was in … or at least that was what she told herself. She was not nervous or anything, she had insisted through out the day.

"Relax," both Wegoes told her, leaning over to tap her on the shoulder. She almost jumped at their touch, but she caught herself.

Her brothers were standing on her side while Kim's brothers were on the opposite side. They were all dressed to the nines in tuxes for the wedding. Joss was also standing with her cousins, frowning over her bridesmaid dress. It had not helped that Hana teased her the whole day about the damned thing. Trin had been there until she walked off to retrieve Kim.

"It's about time you made an honest woman out of my sister," Tim ribbed the green-skinned woman.

"Don't blame this on me. Your sister's the one that's always too busy. I've been trying to get her to walk down the aisle for four years," Shego scoffed.

"Oh, please, like you could leave the office long enough to get married," Wen teased her. She had just recently been voted back into office as Chief Executive and Kim was serving her second term in the General Assembly as prime minister. Others in their group had also been voted back into office, but only if they did not already have positions in the executive branch of government.

Shego frowned. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Calm down. You don't want Kim to see you scowling. She'll think you don't want to marry her," Jim pointed out with a taunting grin.

Shego made a face at him, but she did wipe the frown away. Over the years, she and the Possible twins had reached a truce. She got along much better with Tim, mostly because he truly liked Shego. Jim tolerated her for Kim's sake and for the girls, but that was all. She did not mind; he was the one hurting himself by refusing to deal with reality. As long as he was good to her princesses, and he was, Shego had no issue with him.

As Trin rushed back in with her daughter in her arms, Shego knew that she would not have to wait long for something that she had dreamed about for what felt like a lifetime. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched Trin pass Ann over to Tatsu, who was sitting in the front row with everyone else that was close to Kim and Shego. The blond then made her way to Shego.

"She's coming. The girls are eager to give her away," Trin whispered to her.

Shego smiled at that. As soon as Trin got into place, music began playing. It was not the traditional bridal march. Kim was not interested in that, especially since she knew the twins would not keep pace with it. In fact, Kasy Ann was yanking her mother and sisters down the aisle. Poor Sheki complained the whole way that her twin was going too fast. Shego chuckled softly as they stood before her.

"Here ya go, Momma!" the tiny redhead declared, swinging her mom's hand as they halted.

"Thank you, baby," Shego smiled and leaned down to kiss Kasy Ann's cheek. The little girl literally puffed out her chest with pride.

Sheki pouted. "I helped-ed."

"And what a good job you did, sweetheart," Shego said, giving Sheki a kiss, too. She blushed cutely while Shego turned to their big girl with a devilish smirk on her face.

Shin narrowed her gaze at Shego, looking remarkably like her. "Don't you dare. Any kisses you have left better be directed that way." She pointed at Kim, who was staring at Shego with such love and devotion that the older woman had to pay attention to her.

Shego smiled and took Kim's hand while their daughters stepped to the side. Shin stood behind Kim while the twins huddled in front of Shego. The wedding of the decade got underway with a judge pronouncing Shego and Kim spouses. The ceremony took under twenty minutes because the twins could not be trusted to stand still any longer than that. The pair cringed when their moms kissed to make everything official.

"Yes, finally!" Shin cheered.

Sheki's little forehead wrinkled. "They do kisses all the time," she pointed out.

"It's gross!" Kasy Ann made a face.

"Gross!" baby Ann echoed from her mother's arms.

"Quiet down from the peanut gallery. And we're not naming anyone else Ann if this is what's to be expected," Shego joked as she put her arm around Kim's waist. Everyone laughed, but it was more than likely from the joy of seeing The Couple finally united.

-8-8-8-8-

The reception seemed to go on forever with everyone giving a speech about Shego or Kim or both. The best one was Shin's speech, even though she barely made it through it. Shin cried the whole time and so did her parents. The poor twins ended up crying, too, confused as to why the strongest people they knew were weeping. Kim and Shego grabbed a twin and hugged them as Shin came over to complete the family.

"You guys are so cute!" Hana teased as she stood before the family.

"Why don't you go annoy the Possible that'll punch you in the face," Shego suggested, shooing the ninja away.

Hana snorted. "She took the dress off, so it's no fun teasing Joss now. Maybe I'll go bug my bro." She turned her attention to Kasy Ann and Sheki. "Wanna go bother your Uncle Ron?"

Wide, emerald eyes shined with delight and the twins ran off with Hana. They practically tackled Ron, who was going by his name again during off hours. He had stopped wearing his mask completely and most believed it was because the mask scared the little twins. He hugged both girls before they proceeded to climb all over him. Hana laughed.

"You never used to let me get away with stuff like this. They're your favorites, aren't they?" Hana feigned a pout.

Ron snorted. "Could you blame me if they were? They're twice as cute as you," he remarked. The twins cuddled against him and smiled smugly at Hana.

"I'm glad they make you happy, bro."

The white-haired ninja smiled. Hana went off in search of Joss to probably drive her insane while Ron sat with the girls. The girls talked his ear off about the ceremony and their pretty dresses, but he did not seem to mind, smiling and nodding. He even chimed in when they gave him a chance. Kim came over and sat with him after a few minutes.

"Congratulations," Ron said with a small, almost tender smile.

Kim smiled. "Thanks. Your speech was amazing. I'm glad you accept me and feel like I'm home." She was mostly glad that he was beginning to show glimpses of the boy she used to know. She was aware that her Ron would never come back, but it was good that he was still in there, still in the ninja's heart, and now he was allowed to show up every now and then.

He nodded and shifted Sheki on his knee to move his hand enough to touch Kim. "It's been that way for a while. I just didn't know how to tell you."

"I know. That's not your style. How are you feeling lately? I've been so wrapped up with work and my kids that I haven't had a chance to really sit down with you. I always thought we'd just go back to how we used to be."

"We're not the same, though. I don't expect us to go back to that, but I have to work on myself before we can do anything. I'm getting there." He patted each of the twin's heads, but his gaze went out to Ryujin.

Ron had definitely been trying with his son and doing a very good job. Ryujin was one of the reasons Ron was so close to the twins. The tan blond often babysat the two little whirlwinds, along with Jessie. Even in their early twenties, the young couple enjoyed watching the kids. Ryujin was pulling Jessie toward the dance floor and away from Wade and Amy.

"I bet she was asking when they were gonna have a baby again," Kim laughed.

Ron only shook his head. Jessie liked bothering people about having babies. Those that knew Jessie well and were aware of her "uniqueness" assumed she pestered others about children because she could not have any. She had a way with kids and would make an excellent mother if only she were a flesh and blood entity. Vivian did offer to … build one, but Jessie declined. She had explained to Shego, and then to her mother once she was certain it made sense, that she thought it would be asking too much of Ryujin to love both her, a Bebe, and a little Bebe, even if they were sentient. Amy was working on a solution and would love to find one just to get Jessie to leave her alone about having a baby.

Amy had taken a look into combining DNA to make children for couples that could not have their own. She thought along the lines of, "if a crazy guy like Drakken can do it, then I can do it, only a million times better." Trin and Tatsu had been her first couple. Trin had carried Ann for the appropriate forty weeks after the procedure. Ann was born a whopping eight pounds and completely healthy. Other couples had begun to come in after meeting Ann.

"How are Ryujin and Jessie?" Kim asked curiously. She knew most details from Jessie herself, but she wanted to make sure the couple was on the same page.

Ron nodded. "They're fine. I actually gave him Yori's r-i-n-g." He spelled the item out because of the two blabbermouths on his lap. They had a habit of reporting everything about Ryujin to Jessie, much like they did with their mothers. Shego was certain that she would never get away with anything again thanks to the twins, but then again, Kim probably never would get away with anything ever again either.

"That's so sweet. You don't mind?"

"No, she's a great girl. I've moved past most of that stuff. She is what she says she is. I just hope she appreciates it … if he ever has the nerve to actually ask her, anyway. He really wants it to be special."

"You raised a sweet boy there." Kim smiled.

"He mostly raised himself. I'm guessing he at least got good genes from Yori."

"I'm pretty sure a few of your good genes snuck in there, too. Not to mention, you set a good example for him, even if you don't think you did." Kim continued to smile. She scanned the room to find him again and was surprised to see him sitting with Vivian and Betty.

Ryujin, constantly proving that he was a sweet boy, made it a point to check in with Jessie's mothers. They had all grown on each other, all of them making sure to try for Jessie's sake, which Kim thought was excellent. Ryujin occasionally even asked the couple about dating advice when it came to Jessie to make sure he did something in a manner that would let Jessie know how special she was.

Betty and Vivian as a couple was also a great example for Jessie and Ryujin, which surprised a lot of people. The two women clearly cared for each other. Betty made many romantic gestures toward Vivian and always defended Vivian if someone got in her face, even though no one got in her face for the right reasons. No one outside their circle knew who Vivian once was. They made sure that Junior was unaware that she still existed, so he could not mention it to the Wegoes, who had the bad habit of gossiping.

As far as their being involved in rebuilding the world, Vivian was lucky that she was a Bebe or she would have worked herself to death already. When she was not babysitting, Jessie often assisted her mother, trying to make sure that Vivian did not work around the clock. She had created dozens of robots and helpful technology to put the world on a good path. She was actually one of the main reasons that the city of Isabella looked like what they knew a modern city should look like. She did her best to make sure her technology was safe for the environment, too, because if it was not, Amy would bother her about it.

Betty was mostly involved in government. The woman had a gift with management and paperwork. She mostly ran the home security section of the government, which was basically the public safety department, which included the police. She was a little resentful of the fact that her job had basically been given to her by Shego, as it was part of the executive branch of the government, but she had gotten over it after the first year.

Will Du was by Betty's side at work as always. He had not been fully cured, as he looked at it, but he was able to power down enough to put on a suit and not burn everything he touched. Surprisingly enough, he was not sitting at Betty's table, but actually trying to mingle with the other wedding guests. Believing that he had an unheard of third chance at life, he had loosened up somewhat. He even made small talk with Kim when they ran into each other.

Kim's thoughts were distracted as Monique suddenly flopped down next to them. They all shared smiles between each other, including Ron. None of them thought anything of his expression as he had taken to smiling more in the last couple of years.

"And the band is back together," Monique declared. She had lost her limp thanks to Trin and Amy working out a method to grow limbs back. It had taken almost a year of rehab for her to learn to walk on the new leg. Through her rehab, she had continued working as a member of the General Assembly and discovered that she was rather good at representing a town that she had only passed through once in her life.

"Rufus and Felix are missing," Kim pointed out sadly. The war had taken both of them decades ago.

"They're here in spirit. In fact, let's toast to them, to your happiness, and to a bright future." Monique quickly grabbed wine glasses and handed one to Kim and the other to Ron, who had a hard time juggling it and the two crawling critters in his lap.

"Gimme one of them," Monique requested, reaching for Sheki because she was the closest. Sheki cuddled into Monique.

"Hi, Auntie!" both twins grinned. The girls were very much like Shin in the sense that they loved their family wholeheartedly. Unlike Shin, they were also pretty friendly with strangers, Kasy Ann more so than Sheki, who was polite but cautious. Of course, that somewhat freaked their mothers would, who worried that one day the twins would be lured off with candy and they would have to kill a bunch of people to get the duo back.

"Hey, my girls!" Monique leaned down to kiss twin chubby cheeks. The twins giggled.

Kasy Ann and Sheki did not stick around for long after that because the adults were not paying much attention to them. Kim chatted with her friends while watching her babies run off. She smiled, hoping they would get to grow up in a time with no war, like now. She hoped the peace lasted at least one lifetime.

-8-8-8-8-

The twins charged over to their Uncle Wegoes. The older set of twins stuffed the girls with cake and other sweets littering the hall. Of course, this automatically made the super-powered pair the second best Uncles; Ron would always be number one for same reason the girls refused to disclose, but their mothers guessed it was ninja-related.

The Wegoes still acted as guards for Junior for the most part. He mostly talked to his dead father, which they ignored. He had lost his mind years ago, seemingly thinking that his father was alive and soon would come rescue him. Every now and then, he clawed at the stone walls, trying to escape, but it never did anything, except draw blood from his fingers. They did not care what he did, especially when he was hurting himself. They actually wished he did that more often.

They did not have a big role in government and they preferred things that way. They always made it known that they were not very responsible and they really had no desire to be. Watching Junior was an easy job, especially when they had ten clones each going almost 'round the clock. Politics and engineering, they would leave those things to their older siblings.

"Hey, Unce Wen, do the clone," Sheki requested as she bit into another chocolate cupcake. She had a chocolate ring around her mouth.

"Yeah, Unce Wes, do it, too!" Kasy Ann chimed in. The dress that Kim worried about now had strawberry frosting on it.

Another reason the girls liked them so much was their ability to make copies of themselves. The girls did not totally understand it and considered it like having a dozen new uncles. Of course, they were troubled when the dozen new uncles went away because they did not know where the copies went. Wes and Wen had taken to explaining that their "other thems" went to a cosmic lounge and got to chill out all day. The girls not only accepted that answer, but wanted to know how to go to the cosmic lounge. Of course, the Wegoes being themselves, left Shego and Kim to deal with that explanation.

"You want us to do this?" The uncles grinned as they made several replicas.

"Yay!" the girls cheered as the copies surrounded them.

"Do you really think you should be spoiling them with cake and tricks?" Hego inquired as he came over, looming over his brothers and nieces.

"They're fine. They're having fun and celebrating this national, spectacular event," Wen pointed out while making a face at his older brother. Wes did the same thing and the girls did the same.

"Look at what you're teaching them," Hego huffed, motioning to the girls' faces. "You do know if you keep making those faces, they'll stay that way."

The girls gasped and their eyes went wide. The Wegoes glared at their older brother and they clutched each twin close, as if to protect the girls. "What the hell is wrong with you, Hego? You're scaring them!"

"Don't listen to your thick-headed uncle. We always make faces and they haven't gotten stuck yet," Wes assured the tiny pair.

"You sure?" Sheki asked in a trembling voice.

"Positive. Now, let's go get more food," Wen declared and the twins all left Hego alone.

Hego had slowly but surely mostly reverted back to his old self. It was really the only way that he knew how to be. Yes, he accepted that Shego and Kim were in charge for the most part, but he spoke his mind to annoying degree and argued much of the time over some of the newer developments in the world. Without Junior as a constant threat, he thought that some of the things Shego and Kim wanted to do were beyond their job descriptions, but most felt that he failed to understand that the world was far from back to normal and everyone needed Kim and Shego to go beyond their job descriptions.

They also seemed to notice that Hego did not realize the reason he had a job in the Assembly was due to the simple fact that he was Shego's brother. Yes, he helped in rebuilding and helped in connecting Kimber to Sheshone, which was the new name for Junior's former territory, but everyone knew that did not mean he had leadership abilities. He seemed to think that people believed he was some kind of great leader, a man to be in charge. Most people voted for him because his last name was Go.

Mego had been elected into the Assembly for similar reasons, but he at least recognized that. He seemed to only be involved to have something to do and it got him the attention that he continued to crave. He mostly voted with whatever Shego wanted or Kim wanted. The Wegoes felt like their brother was searching for his identity in this new world. They hoped that he found whatever it was he was looking for since they had a second chance.

"Hey, let's get some soda," Wes suggested to Sheki, who grinned and nodded.

"Soda!" Kasy Ann cheered from Wen's arms.

"Soda it is," Wen agreed.

"I'm pretty sure you're giving them too much sugar," Bonnie commented as she came up behind the twins.

"We know what we're doing," Wes declared with confidence.

"Feed them tons of junk and then give them back to Shego when they start whining?" Bonnie guessed.

"Are we so transparent?" Wen wondered aloud with a laugh. That was definitely their MO.

"Maybe more of us would cut out the transparency," Wes remarked and they made replicas of themselves. Bonnie sucked her teeth while the girls cheered, as expected.

"You two are by far the world's worst babysitters," Bonnie admonished them.

"But, the best uncles," both Wegoes proclaimed and their nieces concurred. High fives were slapped all around.

Bonnie sighed and shook her head again. She kissed each girl on the cheek and then went about her business. Kasy Ann and Sheki waved at her as she went back to Tara, carrying two plates of food. She placed one in front of the blonde.

Tara had a talent for healing people broken by the war and Bonnie was no different. But, Bonnie also helped heal Tara. They were a cute couple, everyone agreed, especially Monique, who had been the one to bring the two together. All they ladies continued to work with war orphans and other people damaged by the war. Their home operated right inside Isabella, which was now the capital of the world. Everyone was willing to bet that Tara and Bonnie would be the next to get married.

While it was never said, most assumed that Bonnie wanted to be properly married. When she was "married" to Junior, it was only because he decreed that they were married. She had no say in it, no say in anything. She had been exercising a lot more independence and had pulled Kim along not too long ago to find a ring for Tara. Kim was keeping it a secret, but people just knew.

"What should we do now?" Wen asked the girls.

"Ice cream!" Kasy Ann requested, licking her fingers.

"More cake," Sheki entreated.

"Yeah!" Wes cheered.

Of course, after a few more minutes of their delighted gluttony, the girls begin moaning. Tiny hands went around little bellies and they curled into their uncles. The Wegoes grimaced.

"I wan' Momma," Sheki groaned and her redheaded counterpart nodded.

The Wegoes were not surprised when the girls pushed out of their arms. They stumbled close to the food tables, but were not on their own for long. Shin came and scooped up Kasy Ann while Jessie picked up Sheki. The girls made pained noises.

"I wan' Mom," Kasy Ann mumbled.

"We're taking you to them," Shin promised.

Kim and Shego actually intercepted them. Shego took Kasy Ann while Kim took Sheki. They went back to their seats to soothe the girls. They also gave Shin a look that told her to continue enjoying the party. Shin jumped right on that by staying with Jessie.

"I can be a bridesmaid at your wedding, right?" Shin asked the blond with a huge grin on her face.

Jessie smiled. "Of course, you can. I look forward to it."

"Do you think your mom or your ma will give you away?" Shin wondered aloud. Her eyes wandered over to the couple, who were slow dancing to the soft music.

"Both probably, although Ryu might have to fight them both to have me. I never thought Mom could be so overprotective and Ma is actually worse. Ma is trying to make up for missing my life by spending every waking moment with me and trying to scare Ryu into doing right by me."

Shin laughed. "That's gonna be Momma for me. I just know it."

Jessie nodded. "You're lucky you haven't shown a remote interest in dating yet. Your boyfriend or girlfriend is going to need strength." She glanced over at Kim and Shego, who were still trying to comfort the twins. "And they'll probably need to make an ally in Kim."

"Yeah." Shin looked at her sisters, who certainly appeared greener than usual. She was not surprised when her mothers informed everyone that they were leaving early to put the girls to bed.

"You sure you don't want someone to watch them? It's not like you two have time for a honeymoon," Bonnie offered the newly married couple.

"No," Kasy Ann groaned, curly into her momma's chest while wrapping her arms tightly around Shego's neck.

"Mom," Sheki croaked, holding Kim tightly.

"I think we'll handle this," Shego replied.

"Thank you all for coming and celebrating with us. Please, don't stop enjoying the party because of this," Kim said.

The couple left with their ill children, but the party did continue. The next couple to leave was Trin and Tatsu with their sleeping toddler. Wade and Amy followed them.

"You're not going to stay? Not like you have a baby to tend to," Trin teased the other couple.

"It's going to stay that way, too." Amy draped her hands around Wade's neck. "I'm going to enjoy my man for a while longer. We finally have free time to spend together."

"I'm surprised you two didn't want that," Wade said to the ladies. Their schedules were rather similar, after all.

"We get plenty of time together and time with our daughter. We make sure to eat all meals together when possible, we watch movies together, and plenty of other things I'm not going to explain to you," Trin replied as she reached over to brush back Ann's hair. Ann was in Tatsu's arms and the mechanic smiled as Trin caressed their daughter. Trin could not be happier that their daughter looked like a mini version of her wife.

Wade chuckled. "Well, don't wear Tatsu out. We're working on the Paladins tomorrow and she needs all her wits about her."

Tatsu rolled her eyes. "We're just updating their hardware. It's just about taking their chassis off and replacing them with new ones."

The Paladins had been put to work in the police force, mostly patrolling from the air and scanning the wilderness to make sure there were not threats outside of the city and towns and also making sure people did not need help in the wild. Their bodies had been reduced in size to seven feet, so they were still imposing, but were not threats to toppling any of the new buildings. The Toltec often expressed that it missed Kim, but all of the Paladins seemed happy with their places in society. Wade and Tatsu had built more Paladins to patrol the towns, which they all hoped would someday soon become cities.

Isabella was still the only true city on Earth. It was kept very clean thanks to robots built by Wade, the Possible twins, and Vivian. Those four tended to come up with engineering feats that helped re-modernize the world. They were responsible for improving communications between everyone on Earth, which was very important for towns in Sheshone, which was named after Shego, whose real name was Sheshona. Those areas sometimes felt like they were cut off from the rest of the world, even though half of the Mountains had been torn down as a show of uniting the world. They all agreed that they had much more to do; everyone felt that way with all of their jobs.

"What are you up to tomorrow?" Wade asked Trin.

"Just working in the lab with crazy, non-cute Shin. He blew the place up last time he was in there unsupervised," she answered with a sigh. "I hope he doesn't wreck the hall."

"That is what he does," Amy pointed out. No one could argue that. "Ron will keep him in line at the hall and maybe someone will get him passed out drunk and make your day better because he won't be able to go to the lab tomorrow."

"That is promising. One day of peace and quiet," the blond commented.

Trin and Shin worked on plenty of things in their lab, from medicines to food. Trin tried not to allow Shin to go in without her as he did have a habit of blowing things up. Thankfully, when he was actually working, Shin was brilliant. They all just hoped that he did not destroy them all in his off hours.

"Well, hopefully, you both get something done if he does show up and Shin doesn't kill you. Ann would be pissed if he did," Wade remarked.

"I'd make him regret it," Tatsu said quite seriously.

"Of course, you would," Amy said. They were both quite serious.

-8-8-8-8-

The Possible-Go family returned home. They still lived in Shego's apartment, but it had been moved to an open street in the city and was now a house really. There was an Executive Mansion, which was where Shego worked from, but she refused to live there. Everyone in the family agreed because they did not want to move, especially since Shego made it clear that she was not going to serve another term, even though people were already pushing for it. She insisted on sticking to the constitution, so she had her two terms and then she was done.

Kim and Shego managed to get Kasy Ann and Sheki to sleep after giving them some ginger ale to settle their stomachs and reading them their favorite stories. Shin called them to let them know that she would be staying with Bonnie for the night, which they knew was supposed to inspire them to have a romantic night as soon as they would. The couple prepared for bed once they knew Shin was fine.

"Let's take a bath," Kim suggested with a smile.

"I like how you think," Shego replied.

A hot bath was run in the large tub. Bubbles and other goodies were added. They both practically dived in with Shego settling against the edge and Kim settling on her. They shared burning hot, passionate kisses and long deep caresses as they tried to do as often as time allowed.

There would be no honeymoon. There was work tomorrow as always. There probably would always be work, but that did not mean they could not pause to show their love for each other, for their family, and for their friends. They had to look out for each other just as they looked out for the world. So far, they were doing great on both ends.

"Thank you for coming back to me, saving me, healing me," Shego said in between loving, fervent kisses.

"Thank you for never giving up on me, saving me, putting up with me even now," Kim replied, caressing her wife's bare sides.

"Always. I love you," Shego declared.

"I love you, too."

Shego smiled. She was happy and she hoped others felt the same way with Junior defeated. She also hoped that her parents and the doctors Possible could see from wherever they were. Well, she hoped that they could not see everything because she was about to do some rather x-rated things to her wife. Before she got to that, she sent a silent prayer to them, wanting them to be proud of everyone, including the world for moving on from the terror that was Junior.

"What are you thinking about?" Kim asked, resting her forehead against Shego's.

"How I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our girls," Shego answered. "I want to love you all for the rest of my days. I love you so much, Princess."

Kim smiled before leaning into Shego, pressing their bare torsos together. Shego moaned as Kim captured her lips and moved against her. She decided that the moment was perfect and she burned it into her memory. While people still referred to her as the Savior, Kim was the Savior to her. Her savior. Kim saved her as much as they saved the world. Now, it was time to enjoy it and live.

-8-8-8-8-

The end.

I would like to thank the following: Yogurth for letting me use his ideas and characters, LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), my betas williamsoft1, mrTomC, and RancheroD, Blackbird for allowing me to use Shin (the cute one), and NoDrogs for allowing me to use the twins Kasy Ann and Sheki.

Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone who stuck with this story through the end. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm returning to my padded cell now. Until my return, remember you can find me on Facebook if you want to see what I'm up to; there's a link on my profile.


End file.
